C-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders robbed the room for Stutsman. Final grade: C-.
by Mook ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
When a board-topper like Danny Stutsman slides to slot 163, you do not overthink it, and the Raiders did not.
The White III reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. Spending an early pick on linebacker with tight end open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
They will regret leaving tight end for another day if the season turns on it.
Hit on Walter Nolen and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
Malaki Starks in No. 14 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Walter Nolen in slot 31 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid sticker price for Josaiah Stewart in Round 2, Pick 14, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Jalon Walker in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They bypassed pressing needs at tight end to take Jihaad Campbell, a linebacker that was not the priority.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Dillon Gabriel well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Cam Skattebo in pick No. 144 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The roster fit checks out.
Dorian Strong at the 150th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached a country mile for Ricky White III at Round 5, Pick 15, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Steal is underselling it; Danny Stutsman at pick 163 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Connor Colby. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value said wait; Shilo Sanders in No. 231 says they were not listening. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.