When the Tennessee Titans officially hit the clock on Thursday afternoon, kicking off the 2025 edition of the NFL Draft, Raiders general manager John Spytek and head Coach Pete Carroll knew they had some serious work to do, as well as a huge opportunity to do it. They entered the weekend with nine picks in a draft that boasted enough depth to find the type of talent infusion the organization needed.
Fast-forward a few days, and nine picks turned into 11, while numerous holes on the roster have since been plugged. While every organization leaves this weekend believing they’ve done a good thing, in the Raiders’ case, it appears as if the league and the industry built up around the draft seem to agree.
And so before we turn our attention to training camp and the preseason, let’s look back one more time on the 2025 draft class for the Raiders…
(The rankings used were Dane Brugler’s Top 100 from The Athletic, Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 150 from NFL.com, and Danny Kelly’s Top 100 from The Ringer)
Round 1, Pick 6: Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State)
(Player rankings: The Athletic – 3, NFL.com – 3, The Ringer – 3)
Coming into the weekend, betting odds indicated that the Jacksonville Jaguars, picking one spot ahead of the Raiders, were the favorites to select Jeanty, while Las Vegas had been connected to Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks.
But thank goodness for the unpredictability of the draft…
When Jacksonville traded up to pick No. 2 with Cleveland, it paved the way for the Raiders to get the superstar running back from Boise State in Jeanty. Yes, he’s a running back, and I get the complaints about positional value — but Jeanty was the only truly elite draft prospect available when the Raiders hit the clock, and so this was a no-brainer.
GRADE: A
Round 2, Pick 58: Jack Bech (WR, TCU)
(Player rankings: The Athletic – 72, NFL.com – 52, The Ringer – 52)
When Day 2 began, it appeared as if the Raiders were primed to add another impact player given who remained available and how early they were scheduled to pick (No. 37), but instead, they decided to trade down not once, but twice. Eventually, they moved down 21 picks, adding two late third-rounders (98 and 99) while also adding a fourth rounder in exchange for a fifth rounder.
With the pick, they added Bech — a big, physical receiver from TCU who feels like exactly the type of player Pete Carroll wants to add to this locker room. Aside from what he’ll offer as an outside receiver, he’s also lauded for his willingness (desire?) to be an enforcer as a blocker as well.
My favorite Bech stat is that when he was a freshman at LSU — on a team with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, among others — he led the team in receptions while playing tight end.
I’m a fan of Bech and of the decision to add two extra top-100 picks, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed to see them miss on some of the guys who would have been available at No. 37.
GRADE: B+
Round 3, Pick 68: Darien Porter (CB, Iowa State)
(Player rankings: The Athletic – NR, NFL.com – 78, The Ringer – 97)
Let’s start with the obvious: they don’t make many guys who are 6’2″, 195 pounds and who can run a 4.30 40-yard dash. The former receiver who switched to defense a couple of years ago is an athletic freak, but the reason he was still available here is because there are some questions about whether or not he can actually play cornerback at a high level.
That said, there was a major need at cornerback and this is exactly the type of prospect Pete Carroll has made a career of turning into a stud. The question is: did they make a mistake taking Porter over Azareye’h Thomas (CB from Florida State, taken at No. 73) and Shavon Revel Jr. (CB from East Carolina, taken at No. 76)?
GRADE: B
Round 3, Pick 98: Caleb Rogers (OG, Texas Tech)
(Player rankings: The Athletic – NR, NFL.com – NR, The Ringer – NR)
The biggest “reach” of the draft according to most outlets, Rogers made 52 starts at tackle in college but will be expected to move inside to guard as a pro. He was Honorable Mention All-Big 12 in his final two seasons of college, and will be entering a room with plenty of opportunities for playing time in front of him. I love the position they targeted here, but not sure about the value of grabbing the player where they did.
GRADE: B-
Round 3, Pick 99: Charles Grant (OT, William & Mary)
(Player rankings: The Athletic – 89, NFL.com – 88, The Ringer – NR)
My favorite pick of the draft was snagging Grant — the massive, raw offensive tackle from the FCS ranks — at the end of the third round. By the time they were picking on Day 2, the first tier of offensive tackles had all disappeared, which meant Spytek would need to get creative in infusing some talent into his tackle group.
Enter Grant, who at 6’5″ and 309 pounds absolutely dominated guys (as you’d hope) to the point that he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to the top offensive player in the FCS. That said, it was the FCS level, so while I’m not expecting Grant to make a major impact in 2025, he very well might be a long-term answer at tackle.
GRADE: A
Round 4, Pick 108: Dont’e Thornton Jr. (WR, Tennessee)
Take everything I said about Porter’s athleticism above, and you could copy and paste it here for Thornton. He’s 6’4″, 205 pounds and ran a 4.30 40 — making him the late Al Davis’s ideal wide receiver. The question is: can he run any routes besides a “go”?
The hope for the offensive coordinator is that he can develop in that regard, while in the meantime doing what Henry Ruggs once did for the Raiders — keeping defenses honest with lots of help over the top.
GRADE: B+
Round 4, Pick 135: Tonka Hemingway (DT, South Carolina)
Bouncing between DE and DT throughout his five years at South Carolina, Terrell “Tonka” Hemingway finds himself in between positions from a size perspective. At 284 pounds, he’s too small to be a defensive tackle at the NFL level (where he played in college), but he’s probably too big to be athletic as an edge rusher. My guess is the Raiders try to tap into his athleticism by slimming him down and moving him outside on early downs.
GRADE: B-
Round 6, Pick 180: JJ Pegues (DT, Ole Miss)
(Player rankings: The Athletic – NR, NFL.com – 135, The Ringer – NR)
Google is versatile, and Pegues might pop up. Across five years in college, he made appearances at TE, DT and even FB — and the hope is that there’s a bit of untapped potential here. If Pegues can clean up his technique and play with a bit more motivation, this could be the Raiders’ steal of the draft.
GRADE: B+
Round 6, Pick 213: Tommy Mellott (WR, Montana State)
Now the fun begins — with a Montana State quarterback who’s expected to move to wide receiver as a pro. After a highly successful career at the FCS level that included a ton of wins, he ran a 4.39 40 at his pro day with agility to match. The best-case-scenario comp here is Julian Edelman.
GRADE: A-
Round 6, Pick 215: Cam Miller (QB, North Dakota State)
After passing on Shadeur Sanders too many times to count, the Raiders waited until Pick No. 215 to grab the developmental quarterback we were waiting for. Miller faced off with Mellott in the FCS National Championship (and won), and now he’ll try to follow in the footsteps of Carson Wentz in making a successful transition from Fargo to the NFL.
GRADE: A-
Round 7, Pick 222: Cody Lindenberg (LB, Minnesota)
Summary
If you had written up a dream scenario strictly from a positions addressed perspective, it would be hard to argue that the Raiders didn’t nail it. They found their starting running back, starting outside receiver, a cornerback who should be in the mix, plus a pair of offensive linemen who very well might play a ton as rookies. Add in a deep threat receiver who should see the field, a developmental quarterback and some intriguing defensive line prospects and Spytek and Co. should be proud of what they accomplished. Outside of slot cornerback, it’s hard to see an obvious need that wasn’t filled last weekend.
GRADE: A
