B
Las Vegas Raiders
Nothing loud, just a tidy B for the Raiders.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Raiders spent the Round 7 slot on Garrett Dellinger, a name most had 75 spots down the list. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
That is a quarterback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 12 they get a three-down runner at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Jihaad Campbell at the 37th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Xavier Watts at No. 55 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. A minor itch, scratched.
Aireontae Ersery at the 68th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Darien Porter at pick 76 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Isaiah Bond is a better player than pick No. 86 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They let Jaylin Noel come to them and pounced at pick No. 108. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Circle this one: Anthony Belton at slot 143 is a fall that decides a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kyle McCord at pick 180 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Donovan Edwards at the Round 6 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Isaac TeSlaa this early at No. 215. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached into another round for Garrett Dellinger, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.