B
Las Vegas Raiders
Sanders is the plan now, and the Raiders grade out a B.
by BeastOnTheGrid ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Raiders committed. Shedeur Sanders is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.
Pierce at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. It is not that Watts is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 6th overall pick they get the face of the franchise at fair value.
Nick Emmanwori slid further than he should have, and the 37th pick is lovely value for the safety. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose safety. Xavier Watts in the Round 3 slot leaves edge rusher and interior defensive lineman for later.
Circle this one: Savion Williams at No. 108 is a fall that decides a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow Denzel Burke was still sitting there in pick No. 143, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taking Hollin Pierce in pick 180 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They robbed the room for DJ Giddens here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Oronde Gadsden II in slot 215 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They read the board right and Ricky White III was the payoff at slot 222. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.