D-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a D-.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Raiders one, and it paid up: Cam Skattebo, the No. 105 name on the board, sitting there at pick 218 like a gift left on the doorstep.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. Shedeur Sanders is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. Spending an early pick on linebacker with edge rusher, cornerback and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, edge rusher very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 6 they get their quarterback of the future at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Circle this one: Josh Simmons at slot 33 is a fall that decides a draft. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A quiet steal in No. 37: Emeka Egbuka for less than the market said. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
TreVeyon Henderson at pick No. 67 is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jihaad Campbell in the 68th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A minor itch, scratched.
Tate Ratledge in the Round 3 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A curious use of the 103rd pick. Edge rusher, cornerback and other spots needed the pick; a linebacker in Barrett Carter did not.
Nothing to complain about; Kevin Winston Jr. went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
By-the-book stuff, Oronde Gadsden II at slot 144 squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
Raheim Sanders in pick 182 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A need, and now a little less of one.
They let Roc Taylor come to them and pounced at pick No. 214. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Cam Skattebo at No. 218 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.