Las Vegas Raiders Mock Draft & Team Needs

The Las Vegas Raiders enter the 2025 season in full rebuild mode after a disastrous 4-13 campaign and the hiring of Pete Carroll to right the ship. With glaring holes on both sides of the ball and just two playoff appearances in the past 21 years, the franchise hopes to turn things around through the draft and a fresh start under QB Geno Smith.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Antonio Pierce experiment as head coach for the Raiders ended with a 4-13 record, and Pete Carroll getting a new job. This franchise made the postseason only twice over the past 21 years. Last season, they had a bottom-tier offense (309 – 29th and 27th in yards allowed). The Raiders were outscored by 125 points, with weakness in their defense as well.

Carroll placed his quarterback bet on Geno Smith by acquiring him in mid-March for a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Las Vegas has a stud tight end (Brock Bower), with a talented backup (Michael Mayer). They desperately need an upgrade at running back, along with a lead receiver to complement Jakobi Meyers.

Starting Offense:

QB Geno Smith

RB Raheem Mostert

WR Jakobi Meyers

WR Tre Tucker

TE Brock Bowers

Their offensive line allowed 50 sacks on 635 pass attempts. The Raiders passed for 4,117 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Las Vegas ranked last in the league in rushing yards (380/1,357/10 – 3.6 yards per carry). They need an upgrade at center from this year’s draft class.

The defense had 38 sacks, partly due to regression by DE Maxx Crosby, who missed five starts. Quarterback beat them for 3,989 yards with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Ball carriers gained 4.4 yards per rush with 14 touchdowns and 15 runs of 20 yards or more (5th most).

Their defensive line has star power at three positions, but Las Vegas needs another option at defensive tackle. The Raiders could use two upgrades at linebacker. At best, they have one competitive player in their secondary.

Las Vegas Raiders 2025 NFL Draft Picks

Round 1: 6th

Round 2: 37th

Round 3: 68th

Round 4: 108th

Round 5: 143rd

Round 6: 180th, 213th, 215th

Round 7: 222nd

The mock draft world has RB Ashton Jeanty going to Las Vegas. I went outside the box, suggesting that the Jaguars draft him and trade Travis Etienne for a third-round draft pick. If this happened, they would be focused to stay in the running back lane or take the best available player to help their team's needs. Based on this, I would expect Las Vegas to draft CB Jahdae Barron if they miss on their star running back.

Jahdae Barron is DOMINANT.

9 PBUs, 5 picks, and 0 TDs allowed in 2024 to go with just 279 yds allowed.

He’s the most physical and versatile DB in the class, capable of playing the boundary, safety, or wreaking havoc as a nickel.

Barron is a top 10 player and an elite talent. pic.twitter.com/Ssb4F4p3AW
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 25, 2025

In the second round, the Raiders should acquire an upgrade at center (Jake Meyers), with fallback options at linebacker (Demetrius Knight) or someone to improve their secondary.