Blistering In From Sea.

[Soapy]

Raiders make blockbuster deal with Houston to land number one overall pick and the rights to Travis Hunter
For a while, the success of Justin Fields would ultimately decide if the Raiders made the right decision in keeping assistant general manager Champ Kelly even after firing general manager David Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels, eventually promoting Kelly to the general manager role on a full-time basis as it was Kelly who pushed for the Raiders to trade for Fields. Nearly a year later, Kelly is once again putting his neck on the line with a blockbuster trade.

The Raiders traded away their two 2025 first round picks, two 2025 third round picks and a 2026 first and second round pick to the Houston Texans for the first overall pick where they will presumably select Colorado cornerback Travis Hunter on Thursday night.

The Texans land a jaw breaking six top 100 picks in the trade while still having the number two overall pick along with Las Vegas' sixth overall pick and sixteenth overall pick (via Dallas) in Thursday's draft and a chance to kick start the organization in the right direction.

Despite the trade, the Raiders still have two more picks in the top 70 thanks to the Hunter Renfrow two seasons ago which netted them the Saints third round pick. The Raiders reportedly hosted Hunter for a private workout where Kelly and head coach David Shaw, along with owner Mark Davis, absolutely fell in love with the two-way star and the decision was made by Kelly -- with buy-in from Davis and Shaw -- to go all in for Hunter.

 

[Soapy]

As expected, Raiders select Colorado's Travis Hunter with first overall selection
The Las Vegas Raiders have selected cornerback Travis Hunter out of the University of Colorado with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Hunter joins JaMarcus Russell as the franchise's only other first overall pick and will hopefully have a much better career after the Raiders traded away a grand total of three first round picks, a second-round pick and two third round picks to the Houston Texans for the right to select Hunter with the first selection.

The ideal modern day defensive back, Hunter is an elite athlete with fantastic ball skills that he showcased on both sides of the ball, moonlighting as the Buffaloes' most explosive receiver during his two year tenure. A former five-star recruit, Hunter has continued to get better as the years progressed and with him filling into his body, the sky is the limit for Hunter who projects to be a starter from day one for the Raiders.

Since trading for the first overall selection, the Raiders have been mum on if they plan to use Hunter at receiver although initial reports are that the plan is to have him focus at corner and potentially field returns.

2025 NFL Draft First Round Selections
1. LV ‣ CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
2. HOU ‣ CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
3. NO ‣ DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
4. JAX ‣ DE Bear Alexander, USC
5. NE ‣ OLB Patrick Payton, Florida State
6. HOU ‣ DT Jaheim Oatis, Alabama
7. GB ‣ LB Harold Perkins, LSU
8. TEN ‣ WR Luther Burden, Missouri
9. SEA ‣ S Malaki Starks, Georgia
10. LAR ‣ OLB Abdul Carter, Penn State
11. WAS ‣ T Will Campbell, LSU
12. ATL ‣ DT Walter Nolen, Texas A&M
13. NYJ ‣ OLB David Bailey, Stanford
14. TB ‣ DT Tim Keenan III, Alabama
15. LAC ‣ DE Jahfari Harvey, Georgia Tech
16. HOU ‣ T Kelvin Banks Jr, Texas
17. MIN ‣ QB Drew Allar, Penn State
18. CIN ‣ DT Mason Graham, Michigan
19. CHI ‣ DE Ethan Burke, Texas
20. ARI ‣ T Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
21. DEN ‣ S Sonny Styles, Ohio State
22. NYG ‣ QB Carson Beck, Georgia
23. MIA ‣ QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama
24. BUF ‣ CB Jordan Hancock, Ohio State
25. PIT ‣ CB Gentry Williams, Oklahoma
26. IND ‣ DE Deone Walker, Kentucky
27. SF ‣ CB Will Johnson, Michigan
28. PHI ‣ HB Nick Singleton, Penn State
29. DET ‣ DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
30. KC ‣ T Earnest Greene III, Georgia
31. BAL ‣ G Tyler Booker, Alabama
32. CAR ‣ OLB Marvin Jones Jr, Georgia

[Soapy]

Raiders need to be cautious at the plate following trade for Travis Hunter
The Las Vegas Raiders traded away a lot of their draft capital for the right to select cornerback Travis Hunter with the No. 1 overall pick, lowering their margin of error with their remaining picks.

A lot of NFL analysts criticized the move, citing the Raiders' success in recent drafts as the precise reason why they should have instead held on to those draft picks and turned them into the likes of Tyleik Williams -- a second round pick in last year's draft -- or 2022 third round pick Tre Tucker, who finished second on the team in receiving yards as a rookie. Instead, the Raiders have just two picks in the top 100 remaining and need to be judicious with those precious picks they have remaining.

Some names to watch at pick 38:

WR Evan Stewart
Stewart wasn't expected to fall out of the first round so if he's there when the Raiders are selecting, the Silver and Black should highly consider taking a potential top receiver in the second round with plenty of upside.

Stewart didn't have the greatest Combine, running slower than expected in the 40 (4.48) and in the 3-cone (6.94) which put outside the top twenty among receivers, putting to rest a lot of the comparisons to Odell Beckham Jr.

When you turn on the tape, however, Stewart is a big time playmaker on the outside that can make plays in a variety of ways and would be a welcomed addition to a receiver room that has plenty of speed but outside of the veteran DeAndre Hopkins, still needs a true outside receiver capable of running a full route tree.

HB Donovan Edwards
You don't spend a first round pick on a running back, we know. But how about a high second round pick?

The Raiders would have had a tough choice to make if Penn State's Nick Singleton was available at this point and while he's off the board, another first round talent in Edwards could be available as he's slipped past the first round. The Raiders didn't sign a veteran running back in free agency to replace Damien Harris and while Miyan Williams might be a capable replacement, Edwards is the much better prospect of the two if you were to compare them to each other.

While the Raiders might have bigger needs at more premium positions, this is a unique opportunity to draft a special talent that could be one of the NFL's better running backs in a few years.

OLB Kenyatta Jackson
While the first two names would be day-one contributors at areas of needs, Jackson would likely redshirt behind Maxx Crosby and Matthew Judon and have a limited role in his first season but provides plenty of upside down the line as Judon is signed to a one-year deal and the Raiders still need to address the position with a long-term view.

Jackson is a twitched up, six-foot-five and 264 pounder with plenty of bend as a natural speed rusher. He could contribute in a number of ways as a rookie in pass rushing situations as the Raiders slowly load up his plate, similar to Decorian Patterson last season who eventually blossomed into a full-time starter.

CB Jacolby Spells
If the secondary is the biggest need and they weren't able to land any top end free agents due to them not being available, why not double up at cornerback in the draft?

There's a few options at corner in Domani Jackson, Daylan Everett, Toriano Pride and Davison Igbinosun but Spells is probably the best all around corner left if you're able to get past his 40-time which was in the mid 4.5s. He can play zone or man with the ability to play in the slot as well so even if they get two corners with their top picks, Spells would be able to play multiple positions and allow the defense to get creative.

[Soapy]

Raiders add another dynamic athlete to their defense in Oklahoma's Dasan McCullough
The Las Vegas Raiders have selected Oklahoma outside linebacker Dasan McCullough with the 38th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The six-foot-five prospect is an intriguing one as he played multiple positions at the high school level, including receiver and defensive back before eventually moving closer to the line of scrimmage.

He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference as a true freshman after recording 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and three passes broken up for the Indiana Hoosiers prior to transferring to Oklahoma where he played the Cheetah position in Brent Venables' defense, a combination of nickel corner and strongside linebacker.

McCullough is a versatile and disruptive playmaker who can make an impact in coverage, against the run and as a pass rusher, making him the ideal SAM or JACK linebacker in a 3-4 front.

He'll need to continue filling out as he's a bit of a tweener between an oversized safety and undersized defensive end but the potential is there for McCullough to turn into a high end EDGE player at the next level. He weighed in heavier than expected at the Combine at 235 pounds and still ran an impressive 4.54 in the forty and led all linebackers with a 36.8" vertical jump.

2025 NFL Draft Second Round Selections
1. HOU ‣ HB Donovan Edwards, Michigan
2. CLE ‣ WR Evan Stewart, Texas A&M
3. PHI ‣ TE Oscar Delp, Georgia
4. JAX ‣ S Zion Branch, USC
5. NE ‣ DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
6. LV ‣ OLB Dasan McCullough
7. GB ‣ TE Mason Taylor, LSU
8. TEN ‣ DE Justice Finkley, Texas
9. SEA ‣ DE Kenyata Jackson, Ohio State
10. LAR ‣ HB Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
11. WAS ‣ HB Trevor Etienne, Clemson
12. ATL ‣ OLB Jeremiah Alexander, Alabama
13. NYJ ‣ G Cole Hutson, Texas
14. TB ‣ T Tegra Tshabola, Ohio State
15. LAC ‣ QB Cade Klubnik, Clemson
16. DAL ‣ G Emery Jones Jr, LSU
17. MIN ‣ CB Domani Jackson, USC
18. CIN ‣ T Josh Conerly Jr, Oregon
19. CHI ‣ T Blake Miller, Clemson
20. ARI ‣ CB Jacolby Spells, West Virginia
21. DEN ‣ OLB Enai White, Texas A&M
22. NYG ‣ WR Aaron Anderson, LSU
23. MIA ‣ DE Gabe Jacas, Illinois
24. BUF ‣ S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
25. PIT ‣ WR Kyion Grayes, Ohio State
26. IND ‣ HB Kaytron Allen, Penn State
27. SF ‣ WR Tetairoa McMillian, Arizona
28. PHI ‣ OLB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
29. DET ‣ G Julian Armella, Florida State
30. KC ‣ S Bryce Anderson, Texas A&M
31. BAL ‣ OLB Cyrus Moss, Miami
32. CLE ‣ TE Donovan Green, Texas A&M

[Soapy]

Ohio State keeps feeding the Raiders as they draft another Buckeye in cornerback Davison Igbinosun
The Las Vegas Raiders have drafted cornerback Davison Igbinosun out of Ohio State with the 67th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a draft pick they acquired two seasons ago by trading away defensive end Chandler Jones.

The Ole Miss transfer was projected to be a potential first round pick after spending the past two seasons with the Buckeyes where he was an All-Big Ten selection this past year. The six-foot-two corner is a long strider who covers space quickly and plays with loose hips despite having the size to play safety. An elite track athlete in high school, it shows up on tape when you watch Igbinosun in coverage.

He improved his man-to-man coverage skills as a senior and cleaned up a lot of the bad technique he showed on film earlier in his career, especially with his footwork and back pedaling and has always shown great ball skills.

Igbinosun ran slower than expected at the combine with a 4.55 in the forty and improved it slightly at his pro day, clocking in at 4.49 second but there remained concerns with his 3-cone time which was 6.9 at the combine and 6.85 at his pro day.

The Raiders double up at corner by drafting Travis Hunter with the first pick and now Igbinosun but he has the size and frame to potentially play safety at the next level so he does provide some positional flexibility, similar to Decorian Patterson last season who ended up primarily playing safety. With the departure of Marcus Epps and the team failing to sign Tyrann Mathieu, safety might be Igbinosun's quickest way to the field.

2025 NFL Draft Third Round Selections
1. HOU ‣ QB Connor Weigman, Texas A&M
2. CLE ‣ DE Damien Martinez, Oregon State
3. LV ‣ CB Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
4. JAX ‣ LB Shemar James, Florida
5. NE ‣ DT Sean Fitzsimmons, Pittsburgh
6. HOU ‣ TE R.J. Maryland, SMU
7. GB ‣ CB Daylan Everette, Georgia
8. TEN ‣ CB Toriano Pride, Clemson
9. SEA ‣ WR Dane Key, Kentucky
10. LAR ‣ T Zach Rice, North Carolina
11. WAS ‣ WR Barion Brown, Kentucky
12. ATL ‣ LB Jaishawn Barham, Maryland
13. NYJ ‣ S Shilo Sanders, Colorado
14. TB ‣ HB Brandon Robinson, Georgia
15. LAC ‣ CB Denver Harris, LSU
16. DAL ‣ TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
17. MIN ‣ T Elijah Pritchett, Alabama
18. CIN ‣ OLB Jalon Walker, Georgia
19. CHI ‣ G Jonah Savailinaea, Arizona
20. ARI ‣ S Kamari Wilson, Florida
21. DEN ‣ T Joe Brunner, Wisconsin
22. NYG ‣ DE Aaron Graves, Iowa
23. MIA ‣ LB Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma
24. BUF ‣ QB Artie Tyson, Illinois
25. PIT ‣ G D.J. Campbell, Texas
26. IND ‣ DT Justin Kirkland, Oklahoma State
27. SF ‣ OLB Jaylen Sneed, Notre Dame
28. PHI ‣ T P.J. Williams, SMU
29. DET ‣ HB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
30. KC ‣ WR Kendrick Law, Alabama
31. HOU ‣ CB Jaheim Singletary, Arkansas
32. CAR ‣ QB M.J. Morris, North Carolina

[Soapy]

An early assessment of the Raiders trade for Travis Hunter as the third round of the NFL Draft concludes
With the Houston Texans trading cornerback Jaheim Singletary with the 31st pick of the third round, the Texans have now used up all of the draft picks they acquired in this year's draft in exchange for sending the number one overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders who drafted Travis Hunter. Of course, Houston has a first and second round pick in next year's draft but let's make an early assessment on how the trade turned out:

‣ Round 1, Pick 6
Texans pick: DT Jaheim Oatis, Alabama
Projected Raiders pick: LB Harold Perkins, LSU

‣ Round 1, Pick 16
Texans pick: T Kelvin Banks Jr, Texas
Projected Raiders pick: CB Gentry Williams, Oklahoma

‣ Round 3, Pick 70
Texans pick: TE R.J. Maryland, SMU
Projected Raiders pick: WR Barion Brown, Kentucky

‣ Round 3, Pick 95
Texans pick: CB Jaheim Singletary, Arkansas
Projected Raiders pick: CB Jaheim Singletary, Arkansas

Depending on how you look at it, the Raiders traded away a potential starting defensive tackle (Oatis), a redshirt project offensive tackle (Banks Jr.), a developmental tight end (Maryland) and a second-year starter at corner (Singletary) in exchange for a generational talent like Hunter. The fact that Perkins ended up being available at number six is probably the toughest pill to swallow as a combination of him and Gentry Williams might have made a bigger impact on the defense than just Hunter but given that the Raiders still ended up addressing the need at outside linebacker with their second round pick of Dasan McCullough and ended up with another first round talent at corner in Davison Igbinosun, you probably take the combination of those two over any combination of the players they traded away, outside of Perkins.

[Soapy]

Las Vegas Buckeyes? Raiders draft another Ohio State prospect in edge rusher Omari Abor
The Las Vegas Raiders have selected yet another Ohio State Buckeye, drafting defensive end Omari Abor with the 102nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

A better prospect than player at this stage in his development, Abor is a former five-star recruit with tremendous upside but not a ton of production. He's shown exceptional snap anticipation and is a twitched-up EDGE prospect with aggressive hands and can bend the edge with ease. He's shown a nice variety of moves to beat blockers including a spin, a rip and a swim along with the strength to set the edge and shed blocks in the run game.

At six-foot-three and 262 pounds, he projects to be an outside linebacker in the Raiders base 3-4 scheme but he'll need to improve his pad level and leverage as he tends to play too high and lose balance. He'll also need to continue working on his technique and counter moves in order to be a more consistent pass rusher. He has all of the physical tools and upside of a first-round pick so this is a great low floor, high ceiling pick for the Raiders in the fourth round at a position where they have enough depth to not rush Abor onto the field as a rookie.

2025 NFL Draft Fourth Round Selections
1. HOU ‣ OLB Shawn Murphy, Alabama
2. TEN ‣ S Jacoby Matthews, Texas A&M
3. NO ‣ DE Keon Sabb, Michigan
4. JAX ‣ OLB Joshua Josephs, Tennessee
5. NE ‣ LB C.J. Hicks, Ohio State
6. HOU ‣ DE Omari Abor, Ohio State
7. GB ‣ DE Anthony Lucas, USC
8. TEN ‣ TE Jaleel Skinner, Miami
9. SEA ‣ QB Devin Brown, Ohio State
10. LAR ‣ OLB R. Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
11. WAS ‣ DE Derrick Moore, Michigan
12. ATL ‣ HB Andrew Paul, Georgia
13. NYJ ‣ S Xavier Nwankpa, Iowa
14. TB ‣ S Terrance Brooks, Texas
15. LAC ‣ DE L.T. Overton, Texas A&M
16. DAL ‣ G Kam Dewberry, Texas A&M
17. WAS ‣ QB A.J. Swann, Vanderbilt
18. CIN ‣ CB Sam McCall, Texas A&M
19. CHI ‣ S Derrick Stokes, Ole Miss
20. ARI ‣ DT Charles Nash, Clemson
21. DEN ‣ WR Emmanuel Henderson, Alabama
22. NYG ‣ DE Travis Shaw, North Carolina
23. MIA ‣ HB Le'veon Moss, Texas A&M
24. BUF ‣ DE Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Texas A&M
25. PIT ‣ LB Melvin Verner, Indiana State
26. BUF ‣ TE Noah Clancy, Oregon
27. SF ‣ QB Walker Howard, Ole Mis
28. PHI ‣ S Davonte Oldham, Kansas State
29. DET ‣ OLB Keith Harvey, USC
30. KC ‣ CB Jaedyn Lukus, Clemson
31. BAL ‣ WR Kobe Prentice, Alabama
32. CAR ‣ S Smoke Bouie, Texas A&M

[Soapy]

Raiders finally draft an offensive player with selection of Florida State's Brian McBride
The Las Vegas Raiders have drafted Florida State tight end Brian McBride with the 134th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and later in the fifth round drafted East Texas Baptist receiver Chris Marshall with the 149th overall pick.

McBride and Marshall are the team's first offensive selection after spending their first four picks in the draft on two corners, a linebacker and an EDGE player.

The six-foot-two, 242 pound tight end was sparingly used at Florida State but has great measurables, running a 4.57 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and had a top-two time at the Combine in the 3-cone drill at 7.13 seconds.

He'll need to work on his concentration drops and being a better pass catcher in general but McBride could potentially be an early impact player with his run blocking ability as Raiders backup tight end Brevin Jordan provides very little in that regard.

McBride will likely be competing with a camp invite or two for that third tight end spot on the roster and he'll have a good chance at winning it if he can improve as a receiver and showcase his solid blocking, which he did at Florida State in a limited role.

Marshall will join a young and talented receiver room with not much room for error as Marshall transferred from Texas A&M to Ole Miss prior to being kicked off the team and spent the past two seasons with East Texas Baptist. While he failed to get a combine invite, the former five-star receiver put on a show at Texas A&M's pro day (East Texas Baptist does not host a pro day) where he outperformed Evan Stewart with a 40.4" vertical jump, 21 reps on the bench press, a 10'2" broad jump and a 4.45 time in the forty.

At six-foot-three, he'll get a chance to be that big body receiver that the Raiders need on the outside throughout the spring and summer.

2025 NFL Draft Fifth Round Selections
1. HOU ‣ G Telvin Golston, Vanderbilt
2. CLE ‣ LB Tucker Culver, Fresno State
3. NO ‣ WR Antonio Williams, Clemson
4. JAX ‣ OLB Courtland Durham, Oregon
5. NE ‣ T Luke Jefferson, Toledo
6. LV ‣ TE Brian McBride, Florida State
7. GB ‣ G Rob Herbert, Texas
8. TEN ‣ DE Tim Jefferson, Syracuse
9. SEA ‣ WR Kevin Coleman, Louisville
10. LAR ‣ DE Quency Wiggins, LSU
11. WAS ‣ OLB Sheldon Johnson, UAB
12. ATL ‣ FB Sammy Blanton, Wake Forest
13. NYJ ‣ QB Keith Richardson, North Carolina
14. TB ‣ TE Enrique Colon, Michigan
15. LAC ‣ OLB Jamie Swayne, UNLV
16. DAL ‣ DT Tevin Galvin, Alabama
17. PHI ‣ DT Kris Allen, LSU
18. CIN ‣ HB Greg Smith, Western Michigan
19. CHI ‣ G Kiyaunta Goodwin, Kentucky
20. ARI ‣ FB J.D. Bradley, Tennessee
21. LV ‣ WR Chris Marshall, East Texas Baptist
22. NYG ‣ CB Teddy Watson, Wake Forest
23. MIA ‣ WR Nyles McDowell, Iowa
24. BUF ‣ HB Devron Grubbs, New Hampshire
25. PIT ‣ CB Julian Humphrey, Georgia
26. BUF ‣ OLB John Toone, Boston College
27. SF ‣ DT Lindsey Starks, Clemson
28. PHI ‣ HB Kenya Bates, Penn State
29. DET ‣ LB Jason Garland, Oklahoma State
30. KC ‣ OLB Deionte Elam, Florida
31. BAL ‣ OLB Mark Gentry, Ole Miss
32. CAR ‣ T Alfonso Kemp, Vanderbilt

[Soapy]

Raiders wrap up 2025 NFL Draft with selection of Ricardo Campbell, Tommy Sutton and James Duff
With their final three draft picks in the sixth and seventh round, the Raiders drafted Stanford receiver Ricardo Campbell, Memphis running back Tommy Sutton and Fresno State fullback James Duff with the 166th, 171st and 198th pick respectively.

Campbell struggled with drops at Stanford and plays with an intensity that can border on undisciplined but with a verified 4.24 forty at the Combine, the Raiders are once again taking a chance on a speedy receiver to add to their already pretty fast receiving corps. At six-foot-one, Campbell is able to play on the outside as he plays much bigger than his listed weight of 184 pounds. He's an older prospect at 23 years old but still provides plenty of upside in the return game with his speed.

Sutton was a 1,000-yard rusher as a senior for the Tigers and at five-foot-eight and 191 pounds, he projects to be a scat-back at the next level. He's a physical runner and excels at creating yards after the catch and will get a chance to make the roster as the fourth running back behind Miyan Williams, Laviska Shenault Jr. and Zamir White.

A tight end at Fresno State, Duff will be making the switch to fullback as the only one on the Raiders roster currently although they are likely to invite other veterans throughout the offseason.

[Soapy]

Grading out the Raiders draft as they wrap up 2025 NFL Draft with nine selection
The Las Vegas Raiders finished the 2025 NFL Draft with nine draft picks, the second most in the NFL behind only the Houston Texans who drafted ten players.

While the true assessment of these picks won't come until the end of the season and truthfully until several years later, it's never too early to start handing out grades and setting the expectations for Raiders fans of these draft picks.

Round 1, Pick 1 ‣ CB Travis Hunter
Grade: A+
Comparable Selection: Texans CB Benjamin Morison (2nd overall), Steelers CB Gentry Williams (25th overall)
Projected Role: Day One Starter
Analysis: While a discussion can be had about the ransom the Raiders gave up for Hunter, it was undoubtedly the right pick to be made once they moved up to the top pick. Hunter projects to fight for a starting spot along with Jeff Okudah, free agent acquisition Rasul Douglas and fellow rookie Davison Igbinosun to be one of the Raiders' two outside corners. He'll also likely contribute on special teams and potentially on the offense as well.

The biggest question is going to be just how much better Hunter ends up being than the other corners the Raiders could have had with their original sixth and/or sixteenth overall pick, specifically Gentry Williams who they held a private workout with.

Round 2, Pick 6 ‣ OLB Dasan McCullough
Grade: B+
Comparable Selection: Seahawks DE Kenyata Jackson (39th overall), Commanders HB Trevor Etienne (43rd overall)
Projected Role: Situational Player
Analysis: McCullough might need a longer runway than Kenyata Jackson or Trevor Etienne in terms of making an impact but the vision is clear with McCullough as he is the ideal EDGE player in the modern NFL with the ability to be stout against the run, drop in coverage and also rush the passer.

McCullough probably doesn't play much in 2025 compared to Jackson but with the team getting a more traditional edge rusher, like Jackson, later in the draft, it's tough to criticize this pick as it makes perfect sense for the team's current needs and future outlook.

Round 3, Pick 3 ‣ CB Davison Igbinosun
Grade: A+
Comparable Selection: Packers CB Daylan Everette (71st overall), Titans CB Toriano Pride (72nd overall), Seahawks WR Dane Key (73rd overall)
Projected Role: Potential Starter
Analysis: This might be the hottest take of this article but Igbinosun might end up being the best corner in the draft, even over teammate Travis Hunter.

If he had ran better at the Combine, he could have been the second corner taken in the draft and when you turn on the tape, speed is far from an issue with Igbinosun who has a track background.

It's now a crowded corner room which is ideal for someone like Igbinosun as there will be plenty of competition and opportunities to earn snap and I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the season, he's the Raiders top cornerback.

Round 4, Pick 6 ‣ OLB Omari Abor
Grade: B-
Comparable Selection: Packers DE Anthony Lucas (103rd overall), Chargers DE L.T. Overton (111th overall)
Projected Role: Sub Pass Rusher
Analysis: The logic in taking Abor is sound since the team needed a pass rusher and he's probably the highest potential player left on the board in terms of twitchy pass rushers but Lucas and Overton are probably better players at this point although Abor might be the best 'prospect' in terms of potential.

He'll likely spend his rookie season behind Matthew Judon and Maxx Crosby, spelling them on pass rushing downs when they need a breather so don't expect too many snaps for Abor this year.

Round 5, Pick 6 ‣ TE Brian McBride
Grade: D
Comparable Selection: Packers G Rob Herbert (135th overall)
Projected Role: Blocking Tight End
Analysis: While McBride will likely carve out a role as a blocking tight end on short yardage situations, I would much rather have spent the draft capital on adding another body along the offensive line as you can find a quality, blocking tight end in the last wave of free agency before camp opens while finding quality offensive linemen is much harder.

Round 5, Pick 21 ‣ WR Chris Marshall
Grade: C
Projected Role: Practice Squad
Analysis: This is a crowded receiver room, especially if Travis Hunter is taking snaps at receiver but this is still a solid draft pick on someone like Marshall who was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school and has the traits to be an NFL receiver.

You can't ask for much more than that at this point in the draft so this is a solid flyer on a player that can eat up preseason snaps and make the practice squad as a solid depth piece.

Round 6, Pick 6 ‣ WR Ricardo Campbell
Grade: B-
Projected Role: Return Specialist
Analysis: I'm not opposed to the Raiders drafting the fastest player in the draft and seeing how it pans out.

If Campbell never takes a snap at receiver, he still provides some value as a return specialist and a gadget player for the Raiders with his blazing speed and his ability to make things happen in open space. If Mario Williams ends up being a key component of the offense, the team would be wise to limit his usage on special teams and the same can be said for Travis Hunter and the defense so if Campbell turns out to be an ace returner, he also keeps Williams and Hunter fresh.

Round 6, Pick 11 ‣ HB Tommy Sutton
Grade: C-
Projected Role: Practice Squad
Analysis: Similar to Marshall and Campbell, the Raiders take a flyer on a player with intriguing physical tools and hope they strike gold in terms of them being an NFL player and at best, a rotational piece.

Sutton does have the advantage of currently being one of only four running backs on the roster but the team is likely to sign more ahead of training camp.

Round 7, Pick 6 ‣ FB James Duff
Grade: B-
Projected Role: Special Teams
Analysis: Duff was a high school running back who converted to receiver and eventually tight end at Fresno State before working out as a fullback during the Combine.

With the position going instinct, we'll see if Pep Hamilton has any use for a fullback in his offense but with Duff's added versatility, he could potentially make the roster as a backup tight end or core special teams guy.