With all 257 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft now revealed, the experts have wasted little time in giving out initial draft grades on every team.
Now, it is important to understand that how a draft is graded now is an exercise in futility. The true impact of a group of prospects cannot be measured until about two or three years down the road. Few people understand that logic quite like Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, who had his 2012 class with the Seattle Seahawks lambasted by critics, only for his top three picks (edge rusher Bruce Irvin, linebacker Bobby Wagner, quarterback Russell Wilson) to play major roles in turning them into a championship contender.
So what’s the purpose of doing them at all, much less talk about them? Perhaps consider this philosophy: if the results come later, the first wave of draft grades more or less reflect the process on getting the players in question. Every team, at least theoretically, had to come into the draft with a clear plan of attack, and this is the first time that everyone can truly compare notes to see how they actually felt about certain players.
With all of that out of the way, let us take a look at what the experts are saying right now on the Raiders’ draft class:
Rob Maaddi, Associated Press: A
“Got the top player at his position in RB Ashton Jeanty (6). WR Jack Bech (58) has a high ceiling. CB Darien Porter (68) has excellent upside. OTs Caleb Rogers (98) and Charles Grant (99) with consecutive picks is a Day 2 highlight. WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. (108) is a tall target for Geno Smith. Added more value with DLs Tonka Hemingway (135) and JJ Pegues (180).”
Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports: A
“Raiders new general manager John Spytek, take a bow. What a debut. Jeanty was one of the clear blue-chippers available in this class. Bech is one of the most complete receivers in the class who’s going to rock in the middle of the field. Throw in the addition of Thornton, a 6-foot-5 burner with 4.30 speed, and Geno Smith should be popping champagne.
Porter has immense upside because of his athleticism and length at cornerback, and Rogers possesses similar potential as a stellar athlete in his own right who played nearly 4,400 snaps in college at four positions. Pegues and especially Hemingway give the defense pass-rushing juice on the inside. I even compared Cam Miller to Brock Purdy.”
For The Win staff: A
“Pete Carroll’s first draft with the Raiders was an impressive display. Las Vegas laid its intentions bare around Geno Smith: upgrade the league’s worst run game with Jeanty, a pair of Day 2 offensive linemen and two big downfield targets in Bech and Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton. If Carroll’s defense clicks, the Raiders could be sneaky dangerous this fall.”
Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated: B
“The Raiders went heavy on the offensive side, using five of their first six choices to build up the unit around quarterback Geno Smith. Jeanty is the centerpiece, a back who will be utilized heavily from the start after he rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns last year with Boise State. Beyond Jeanty, Bech, Rogers and Grant could all be starters in 2025, giving Las Vegas some excellent talent and value throughout its draft class.”
Pro Football Focus: A
(On Jeanty): “The Raiders needed a difference-maker at running back after finishing with just a 57.9 PFF rushing grade last season, the worst mark in the NFL. Jeanty certainly qualifies. His 152 missed tackles forced were nearly 50 more than any other FBS running back last season, and he was the only back in college football with 10 or more touchdown runs of 20-plus yards (12).”
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: A
“The collaboration of Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, and John Spytek made this team a mentally and physically tougher team. This offense is downright dangerous now with Jeanty helping Geno Smith and Bech being the ideal outside target to play well off Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers. They also added some key wideout depth for the slot and a vertical threat. Porter has some shutdown potential, and they also didn’t forget about interior line support for both sides. Watch out for [linebacker Cody] Lindenberg acing special teams.”
