D-
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback settled, Sanders in the fold, and a D- for the Raiders.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the Round 4 slot is 78 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D- is the result.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Shedeur Sanders gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. The Harvey pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 6 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A real need, handled.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Kenneth Grant at the 33rd overall pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A safety of that caliber at the 37th pick is the definition of value, full stop. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They read the board right and TreVeyon Henderson was the payoff at No. 67. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Aireontae Ersery was still sitting there in slot 68, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Darien Porter at pick No. 73, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached into another round for Dont'e Thornton Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Raheim Sanders at No. 144 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They will replay Oronde Gadsden II at pick 182 for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, JJ Pegues in Round 6, Pick 36, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
RJ Harvey in the 218th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It fills a real need, too.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith at slot 224 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.