B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Good, not great, for the Raiders: B-.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
The tape said wait; the Raiders did not. Nick Martin went at Round 6, Pick 36, a good 49 picks before the board was ready. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
However the rest shakes out, Higgins at that price is a win they earned. It is not that Winston Jr. is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
The Martin Emerson Jr. pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
They let Tetairoa McMillan come to them and pounced at the 21st pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Nick Emmanwori in pick No. 33 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Jihaad Campbell in pick 34 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Aireontae Ersery at the Round 2 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nothing to complain about; Dylan Sampson went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They took Quinshon Judkins at par in No. 68, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They did well to land Jayden Higgins in Round 3, Pick 9, just ahead of his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went safety with Kevin Winston Jr. while clear needs at edge rusher, cornerback and other spots sat open.
The board had cheaper options than Kyle McCord at pick 107, and it noticed. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the Round 5 slot is the definition of value, full stop. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
RJ Harvey in the 182nd pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A need, and now a little less of one.
Nick Martin at the 214th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Taking Jay Higgins in pick No. 218 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.