The Las Vegas Raiders have certainly shaken things up within the organization in the last year or so. They have just two winning seasons in the last 20 years, so something had to give if they wanted to return to relevant status in the NFL. It started with Tom Brady buying into the team as a minority owner and has continued with the additions of Pete Carroll as head coach, Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator and yesterday they announced the addition of Howie Roseman’s former right-hand man Anthony Patch, who came from the Philadelphia Eagles front office.
Kelly is the interesting name that doesn’t get mentioned enough. Kelly is back in the NFL after bouncing around in college with UCLA and most recently Ohio State.
Experts are excited about Kelly and the draft
NFL expert Todd McShay looked at the Raiders’ 2025 draft haul and how those players fit into the Raiders’ plans moving forward. It seems like Kelly will have some new toys to play with. We know Kelly is creative and innovative if nothing else.
“Every pick on this list was of value. Jeanty at six: value. Jack Bech at wide receiver. He is a starter, day one. [He is a] physical slot [who can] block down the field. Darien Porter [has] traits for days [and is] still developing. So was Tarik Cohen when he was coming out of UTSA. This guy [Porter], is a former wide receiver with ball skills. Dont’e Thornton. Speed, explosiveness. JJ Pegues: best running back in the Southeastern Conference,” McShay joked.
“I do love that draft for Spytek, [in his] first year there,” McShay said. “And with Pete Carroll, they made some headway, starting with Jeanty.”
McShay’s co-host Stephen Muench thinks the Raiders got value in the middle-late rounds and that should bolster a roster that could use it.
“Tommy Mellott from Montana State who is a quarterback but is going to be a wide receiver. Julian Edelman is the comparison. An outstanding runner, tested extremely well, does not throw the ball well enough. He is not big enough to stay at quarterback, but he is an intriguing prospect,” Muench said.
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus also liked what the Raiders did in the draft as it pertains to Kelly and his innovation.
“They now have numerous pieces that afford them a chance to flex some creativity. A wildcat set featuring Jeanty, JJ Pegues, who scored seven touchdowns on 21 carries as Lane Kiffin’s wildcat quarterback and Montana State product Tommy Mellott will be a nightmare for defenses,” Cameron said.
Don’t forget Kelly’s offense stormed the NFL back in 2013
While it was all the way back in 2013, Kelly took the league by force for a little bit when he took over the Eagles. His innovative offense still has influence and can be seen around the NFL today. Kelly went 10-6 in 2013 and 2014, which led to Roseman being sent to the other side of the building and Kelly getting general manager duties. Big mistake, as Kelly the G.M. screwed Kelly the head coach.
Cutting Desean Jackson was a terrible idea, especially when you tried to smear him with gang ties on the way out. They let wide receiver Jeremy Maclin walk to the Chiefs. How about trading all-world running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for Kiko Alonso? Terrible ideas.
General manager Chip Kelly left head coach Chip Kelly with no weapons. His offense stalled, he got fired at the end of the 2015 season and he later flamed out with the San Francisco 49ers.
Kelly now has a new franchise with new, exciting players and it will be interesting to see what he does with them.
