With Pete Carroll and Geno Smith reuniting in a new city, the Las Vegas Raiders will debut one of the league’s most surprising rosters in 2025. Following a successful free agency period, the Raiders now turn to the 2025 NFL Draft, where general manager John Spytek has nine picks to use across seven rounds.
Spytek, who replaced Tom Telesco in January, has been the mastermind behind Las Vegas’ already stellar offseason. Following the disaster that was Antonio Pierce’s lone season at the helm, Spytek and Carroll managed to re-inspire a dull fan base in the span of two months.
Spytek managed to accomplish a lot in free agency, but the team still has clear needs entering the draft. The Raiders have a plethora of roster needs, specifically at running back, receiver, center, linebacker and cornerback. They will not be able to solve all the issues with an incoming rookie class, but Spytek’s upcoming decisions will be telling to Las Vegas’ immediate success in 2025.
With the hype of the upcoming season already stirring, the Raiders have high expectations to meet in the 2025 NFL Draft. Their process will begin with the No. 6 overall pick, followed by one selection in each of the ensuing four rounds. Las Vegas will have three picks in Round 6, courtesy of two compensatory picks, given to them as a consolation from the 2023 offseason. Spytek will conclude his night with one final choice in Round 7.
The Raiders do not have as many options as some other teams do, but they have more than enough to round out the edges of their improving roster.
Here is the Raiders’ seven-round 2025 NFL mock draft, according to the Pro Football Focus draft simulator.
Round 1, Pick 6: RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
Running back is one of the Raiders’ most obvious needs, making them the team likely to take a shot on 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty. As potentially the greatest college running back of all time, Jeanty is an immediate day-one starter who should instantly be one of the top talents at the position. Those are lofty expectations, but with what he accomplished in college, overestimating Jeanty seems near impossible.
Without a clear-cut top running back in 2024, the Raiders sheepishly presented the worst backfield in the league. Alexander Mattison led the way with just 420 rushing yards, as no player even came close to posing a threat in the run game. Las Vegas signed veteran Raheem Mostert in free agency, but at 32, his best days are miles behind him. Jeanty is an ideal pick at No. 6 who should have every fan itching with excitement.
Round 2, Pick 37: DT T.J. Sanders (South Carolina)
Even with Maxx Crosby now signed through the 2029 season, the Raiders still need defensive line help. That is where nose tackle T.J. Sanders can lend a helping hand. Over the last two years, Sanders recorded 94 tackles, 8.5 sacks and five batted passes at South Carolina. Those are elite numbers for an interior lineman who spent most of his snaps lined up across from the opposing center.
However, with several other more prominent vacancies to fill on the roster, taking a defensive tackle this early seems like a head-scratcher. Without making any major free agency moves, Spytek invested heavily in the position over the offseason by giving Maxx Crosby a record-breaking $106.5 million extension. A group that ranked in the middle of the league in pass rush and run defense is far from perfect, but the Raiders could benefit from addressing other needs in the second round.
Round 3, Pick 68: DT Shemar Turner (Texas A&M)
Taking one defensive tackle early might be acceptable, but drafting two would be borderline incompetence. It is not as if the Raiders lost linemen in free agency; the only key departure was veteran John Jenkins, whom the team let walk after two seasons.
From a pure asset perspective, Turner would still be a useful addition in the trenches. He is not the athlete that Sanders is, but his strength and motor would fit in perfectly next to Crosby. Still, if Spytek wishes to last longer than Telesco, he would be wise not to spend two of the team’s top three picks on nose tackles.
Round 4, Pick 108: CB Jacob Parrish (Kansas State)
The Raiders signed Eric Stokes away from the Green Bay Packers in free agency but still have a need for the position after losing Nate Hobbs. With just two players contracted beyond the 2025 season, Las Vegas also needs to think about the future of the position. Coming off a 50-tackle, seven-pass breakup year, Parrish is not an exciting answer but could grow into a weekly starter.
Las Vegas still has a solid group sticking with the team, which would allow Jacob Parrish to grow in Patrick Graham’s defense. Defensive backs have historically fared well in his system. Graham was one of the few coaches Carroll opted to retain once he accepted the job. This is another pick that might not jolt the fan base but could pay off in the long run.
Round 5, Pick 143: OT Chase Lundt (UConn)
The Raiders did not lose any key offensive linemen in free agency but absolutely had to address the position in the offseason. Between Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder, Las Vegas’ offensive line allowed the seventh-most sacks in 2024 while finishing 22nd in run-block win rate. Spytek added veteran guard Alex Cappa, but one positive move is not enough to the need to add additional assets in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Chase Lundt, who started every UConn football game over the past four years, is as reliable as any tackle can be. The Raiders desperately need depth at the position, with virtually nothing behind organizational mainstay Kolton Miller. Scouts are skeptical about his short arm length, but Lundt has enough speed to potentially become as dependable in the NFL as he was in college.
Round 6, Pick 180: DT Tonka Hemingway (South Carolina)
For whatever reason, the PFF mock draft simulator believes the Raiders have a massive need for defensive tackles, predicting another one taken in Round Six. Taking a stab at a player this late in the draft hardly raises eyebrows, but doing so with another defensive lineman would certainly turn heads. The team could use interior line help, and Tonka Hemingway has value this late in the process, but Spytek would not be able to justify leaving Green Bay with three nose tackles and zero wide receivers.
A five-year player at South Carolina, Hemingway was part of the Gamecocks’ two-man tandem with Sanders that wreaked havoc on opposing offensive lines. An above-average pass-rusher in the middle, Hemingway ended his fifth year with 4.5 sacks, giving him 9.5 sacks over his last three seasons. The potential is there, but spending three picks on defensive tackles for a team that already has Christian Wilkins and just re-signed Adam Butler would be mindlessly tacky.
Round 6, Pick 213: QB Kurtis Rourke (Indiana)
The Raiders would definitely be wise to invest in another quarterback in the draft, even if it is in the sixth round. Trading for Smith eliminated the need to use an early-round pick on the position, but taking Kurtis Rourke at this spot would be an excellent value grab. Las Vegas still has O’Connell on the roster, but without Minshew on the team, Rourke could feasibly find himself as Smith’s backup by Week 1.
After six years in college, Rourke’s poise and maturity are already NFL-level. He is now coming off the most successful year of his career, in which he threw 29 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Rourke is not the big-play threat that would have him higher on draft boards, but his consistency and leadership will already impress as a rookie.
Round 6, Pick 215: RB Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
With their final sixth-round pick, the PFF mock draft simulator has the Raiders taking a flier on 2023 consensus All-American and Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II. He is not the prospect he once was, but he is worth a shot from any team this late in the process. Before everything fell apart at the seams, Gordon rivaled Jeanty as the best running back in college football with a 1,732-yard, 21-touchdown season as a sophomore.
Even though his production fell off a cliff in 2024, Gordon still averaged 4.6 yards per carry and found the end zone 13 times as a junior. The drop-off cannot be entirely counted against him, as seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman failed to show up and watched in horror as his offensive line turned into human turnstiles. He averaged just 1.79 yards before contact, easily one of the worst marks in the country. The talent is still there, and in the right situation, he could assuredly thrive in the NFL. A Jeanty-Gordon training camp battle would be one to watch.
Round 7, Pick 222: LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson (Kentucky)
The Raiders need to add linebackers in the draft more than they need air, which would make it disappointing to see them wait until the seventh round to finally do so. Maybe Spytek finds a diamond in the rough with Jamon Dumas-Johnson, but the Kentucky linebacker profiles more as a special teamer than an every-down linebacker.
While the Georgia transfer led the Wildcats with 67 tackles in 2024, the numbers do not tell the full story. What should have been a 100-tackle campaign was limited by Dumas-Johnson’s painfully apparent lack of speed and explosiveness. As a former four-star recruit, Dumas-Johnson has long had hype to his name but just did not pan out the way many had hoped. With luck, Spytek will address the lack of linebackers on his roster much earlier in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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