A-
Las Vegas Raiders
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Raiders and Arroyo: A-.
by jonniep ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 9 steals
· 3 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Elijah Arroyo had no business being available in the Round 6 slot, and the Raiders did the only sane thing and turned in the card. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A-.
The Thornton Jr. pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. With edge rusher, cornerback and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on safety is the choice that costs them.
Bottom line, they left the weekend a clearly better team, and they earned every bit of it.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 25 they get a true top target, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
The board fumbled Nick Emmanwori all the way to slot 37, and they scooped it up. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Jalon Walker in pick No. 58 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They robbed the room for Omarion Hampton here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A wild overpay on Jaxson Dart in No. 73, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A want over a need in the Round 4 slot: Xavier Watts adds a safety while edge rusher, cornerback and other spots keeps waiting.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the 142nd pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board had cheaper options than JJ Pegues at the 165th overall pick, and it noticed. The roster fit checks out.
They will replay Smael Mondon Jr. at No. 178 for years; that is how good the value is. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Lander Barton at the 212th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A tight end of that caliber at pick No. 216 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Steal is underselling it; Ryan Fitzgerald at Round 7, Pick 6 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.