C+
Las Vegas Raiders
Grand theft in Round 6, Pick 40: the Raiders steal Reed and grade out a C+.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 10 steals
· 1 reaches
The board owed the Raiders one, and it paid up: Jaylen Reed, the No. 179 name on the board, sitting there at the 218th pick like a gift left on the doorstep. Some smart calls, some head-scratchers, and a C+ in the wash.
Every board in the league had Gadsden II lower, and that gap is the story. Spending an early pick on linebacker with edge rusher and offensive lineman open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Hit on Kenneth Grant and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 25 they get a difference-maker at receiver. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the Round 1 slot they get a run-stuffing presence up front, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
Value with a capital V on Nick Emmanwori in pick No. 33, a genuine coup. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A straight-up fair deal on Jihaad Campbell at Round 2, Pick 5, value and slot in agreement. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Jalon Walker at linebacker with edge rusher and offensive lineman open.
They robbed the room for Omarion Hampton here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A tidy bit of business in slot 68, where TreVeyon Henderson graded well above the range. It fills a real need, too.
Darien Porter slid further than he should have, and pick 86 is lovely value for the cornerback. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They let Jalen Milroe come to them and pounced at slot 107. The roster fit checks out.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Oronde Gadsden II well ahead of where he belonged. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
No drama and no debate, Dont'e Thornton Jr. went about where he belonged in the 167th pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Raheim Sanders in pick 171 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Fair-plus on JJ Pegues, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
By-the-book stuff, Roc Taylor at pick No. 183 squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Circle this one: Luke Lachey at the 214th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jaylen Reed in No. 218 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.