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The Las Vegas Raiders are on their bye this week, giving the team a much-needed reset and the opportunity to learn the playbook of interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
That being said, the work off the field does not stop, and general manager Tom Telesco and his scouting department will continue to be hard at work scouting the next generation of Raiders.
With the college football season being on Week 11, the landscape of the 2025 NFL Draft is beginning to take shape. While the season is just the beginning of the drafting process, it is never too early to identify potential needs and seeing which prospects can fill the gaps on next season’s roster.
While the prospects listed here are just a small selection of who the Raiders could target, they all answer some burning questions this offseason and possess unique skillsets that the team needs.
Here is who Raiders fans need to keep their eye on this week:
Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Ole Miss’s clash with the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday carries massive implications, as the result of the game will tie directly into the Rebels’ hope of making the expanded College Football Playoff. While Dart will not be the only player for Ole Miss worth monitoring (receivers Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins and linebacker Chris Paul Jr. are also names to keep in mind,) the pressure in such a matchup ultimately falls onto the quarterback.
In an up-and-down year for the 2025 quarterback class, Dart has put together an excellent season for the Rebels so far. Against Arkansas last week, Dart put together arguably the most dominant game out of any college quarterback this season, throwing for 515 yards and six touchdowns. While it will be difficult to match that performance against Georgia, the Bulldogs defense has not been its usual self this season. Dart has the arm strength and toughness inside the pocket to make throws from anywhere on the field, and he has shown greater trust in his receivers to make plays instead of forcing the ball downfield. He will also be matched up against Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck, another 2025 prospect who has struggled recently, so outdueling him can only help in terms of draft stock.
While the Raiders will be aggressive in searching for their next franchise quarterback, a continued breakout from Dart would provide another option if they miss out on the more ballyhooed prospects at the position.
Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
Standout cornerback Nate Hobbs is scheduled to be a free agent after this season, and Jack Jones’s contract expires in 2026. With the long-term plan at the position up in the air, investing a high draft pick on an experienced cornerback like Barron would be a wise decision.
One of the most versatile players available in this class, the fifth-year senior Barron has excelled as an outside corner, nickel back, and safety. While his five-foot-11 frame might be just below prototypical NFL size, Barron has emerged as one of the best cornerbacks on the boundary this season. According to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks have only put a 30.9 passer rating against him so far this season. While Barron is not the fastest cornerback in this class, he more than makes up for it with his high football IQ, being able to anticipate and stop both running and passing plays. That should not change in a juicy matchup on Saturday against the Florida Gators, where it is uncertain if DJ Lagway will be healthy enough to retake his starting quarterback spot or if they must turn to Aidan Warner again. Either way, look for Barron to impact the game in a number of ways defensively.
With cornerbacks having a more difficult progression curve than most positions in the NFL, Barron’s experience and versatility will undoubtedly be appealing. The Raiders should be among the teams most interested.
Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Along with cornerback, safety could also be in for a fresh infusion of talent. Trevon Moehrig and Marcus Epps are also on expiring deals, meaning that the depth at the position will have to be restocked soon.
For a team that has traditionally valued athletic traits like the Raiders have, very few prospects jump off the page like Emmanwori does. The first thing that stands out about Emmanwori is his size; standing at six-foot-three and 227 pounds, he resembles more of a linebacker than a safety. Very few linebackers also come with sub-4.4 speed like Emmanwori does, allowing him to be a chess piece on defense for South Carolina. To put his game in perspective, Emmanwori should remind Raiders fans of safety-to-linebacker convert Divine Deablo. He is aggressive in attacking downhill to stop the run, physical in man and zone coverage against tight ends, and athletic enough to stay on pass-catching running backs. Even more impressive is, despite only being a junior, Emmanwori already has three seasons of starting experience in the always-competitive SEC under his belt. He will be needed to continue to perform at a high level on Saturday, when the Gamecocks match up against the surprising Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt boasts one of the top performing tight ends this season in Eli Stowers, so the winner of the matchup between him and Emmanwori will see their stock rise further.
SEC games will always give a glimpse of NFL-caliber talent, and Emmanwori is just another example of a player teams like the Raiders will covet.
Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson
The Raiders will need to revitalize their rushing attack, as they rank 31st in the league in total rushing yards (692). Thankfully, the 2025 class is loaded with top running back prospects, and Mafah is one that they will certainly consider.
With a six-foot-one, 225-pound frame, there is no question Mafah can handle the increased physicality of the NFL. There is also no question about Mafah’s ability to produce on the ground; over the last four games, Mafah has cleared the 100-yard mark in three of them. While it would be easy to say that Mafah has a clear-cut role as a power back in an NFL offense, this season has also shown him show more nuance and versatility in his game. He has become more reliable as a pass catcher and an extra blocker in the backfield, and that reliability on third down could shift the thinking of NFL scouts. He will have the opportunity to produce against Virginia Tech on Saturday, as the Hokies have draft-worthy prospects like cornerback Mansoor Delane and defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles. Another impressive performance from Mafah would go a long way towards cementing himself as a three-down bellcow back.
The NFL has completely embraced a youth movement at the running back position, and Mafah is establishing himself as a key performer in the latest crop.
Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State
For the last prospect, the Mountain West deserves a bit of the spotlight. While many Raiders fans will likely advocate for selecting a receiver early in 2025, there is equally as much merit to looking into a late-round steal such as Nash.
A quarterback convert, Nash has caught the national spotlight with an impressive season at receiver. At the time of writing, Nash leads the nation with 80 receptions and 12 touchdowns, while also ranking third behind Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. in receiving yards with 995. The Group of Five competition is not the only contributing factor, either, as Nash possesses the size profile (six-foot-three, 195 pounds) and hands that NFL scouts like to see. While he is still converting to his new position, the fact that Nash has already used his tools to this degree of success is promising to his future. San Jose State’s next game against Oregon State on Saturday should be another chance for Nash to perform, as another well-regarded Mountain West receiver in Tory Horton had a strong game against the Beavers with nine receptions and 158 yards.
As Nash continues his strong season, expect more teams to express increased interest. The Raiders would be smart to get a leg up on the competition and see if Nash can be a part of what is likely to be a revamped receiving corps next season.
