Las Vegas Raiders Earn ‘B’ Grade for 2025 NFL Draft: 11 Picks Could Contribute Early
Stop me if you heard this before: the Las Vegas Raiders have a new coach and new general manager. Yes, here we go again. Four coaches and four general managers in the last five years have led to lean years since moving to Las Vegas home. Will things change this year with Pete Carroll as head coach and John Spytek as the GM?
For this year’s draft, the new regime does what most teams in their spot do and they pile on the picks. The Raiders were able to maneuver a few trades to end up with 11 picks. For a team that needs help everywhere, this was a logical game plan.
Based on the number of picks that can come in and play right away, the Raiders receive an overall B grade.
Raiders 2025 Top Draft Picks
Grade C: Round 1, Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: Jeanty will come in and start for the Raiders. He should have flashes of brilliance as he makes the leap to the next level. However, just because Saquon Barkley had a historic year and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, the value of the running back should not drastically change in the NFL. It has been rare for a running back to be a first-round pick. Many teams stock up on their running backs in the later rounds. As a first-round pick, Jeanty can be a bust. As a lower pick, with lower expectations, he is a good back who gets a chance early because he is on a team that needs help.
Grade A: Round 2, Jack Bech, WR, TCU: A Senior Bowl MVP, the Raiders hope he can complement last year’s top rookie TE Brock Bowers and open up the passing game for QB Geno Smith.
Grade A: Round 3, Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State: A 4.3 40-yard dash speedster, Porter is a converted WR who has two years of experience with the Iowa State defense.
Grade B: Round 3: Caleb Rogers, OT, Texas Tech: With over 50 college starts on the offensive line for Texas Tech,. Rogers will be able to come in and contribute right away to an offensive line that struggled last season.
Grade C: Round 3, Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary: Grant played at a smaller school than Rogers and may need more development time to break into the Raiders’ offensive line.
Raiders Middle Round Picks
Grade B: Round 4, Dont’e Thornton, WR, Mississippi: Impressive showings at the NFL Scouting Combine and East-West Shrine Game and a solid senior season make this a solid pick for the Raiders.
Round 4, Tonka Hemingway, DT, South Carolina: Hemingway started all four years at South Carolina. They should compete for playing time on the Raiders’ defensive line.
Raiders Round Six and Seven
Grade B: Round 6: JJ Pegues, DT, Ole Miss: Pegues played multiple positions at Ole Miss, including some offensive plays.
Grade C: Round 6, Tommy Mellott, QB, Montana State and Round 6, Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State: The Raiders took flyers on these two small-school quarterbacks. Could one small school QB be another Josh Allen (Wyoming) or will they both be another Trey Lance (North Dakota State)?
Grade B: Round 7, Cody Lindenberg, Minnesota: A solid player with over 200 career tackles, he should make a difference on special teams and could compete for playing time in certain defensive packages.
