Las Vegas Raiders (Last Year: 4-13)
2025 NFL Season Preview:
Veteran Additions:
QB Geno Smith, RB Raheem Mostert, G Alex Cappa, DT Leki Fotu, LB Germaine Pratt, LB Elandon Roberts, LB Devin White, CB Eric Stokes, S Jeremy Chinn.
Early Draft Picks:
RB Ashton Jeanty, WR Jack Bech, OT Charles Grant, G Caleb Rogers, CB Darien Porter, WR Dont’e Thornton, DT Tonka Hemingway. Raiders Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Gardner Minshew, RB Alexander Mattison, TE Harrison Bryant, G Cody Whitehair, G Andrus Peat, C Andre James, DE K’Lavon Chaisson, DT John Jenkins, LB Robert Spillane, LB Divine Deablo, CB Nate Hobbs, S Trevon Moehrig, S Marcus Epps.
2025 Las Vegas Raiders Offense:
Things didn’t exactly go according to plan last year. The Raiders lost the opener, but then went on to win in Baltimore. Despite the impressive victory, Davante Adams had decided that enough was enough. He forced a trade to the Jets, severely limiting the team’s offensive upside. The two quarterbacks, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew, struggled with their top weapon no longer on the team.
The Raiders decided that they needed a proven veteran to serve as an upgrade at quarterback, so they traded for Geno Smith. The long-time Seahawk has played well in the past several years. He’s not a top-10 player at the position like some in the media would like everyone to believe, but he has proven that he can be a solid starter. He’ll be a colossal upgrade at quarterback, given what the Raiders have endured at the position.
Smith won’t have anyone at receiver like D.K. Metcalf with the Raiders, but he’ll be able to throw to what could be the best tight end in the NFL. Much was expected from Brock Bowers, and yet he exceeded expectations, setting rookie records in his first year in the NFL. Bowers should only improve with upgraded quarterbacking. Smith will also utilize Jakobi Meyers and rookie Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton. Meyers is an underrated player who has thrived with nearly every quarterback with whom he’s been paired. Bech is a big receiver with some separation issues. Thornton, meanwhile, is an athletic marvel with unlimited upside.
As was the case in Seattle, Smith will be able to lean on a strong rushing attack. The Raiders perhaps made the greatest improvement to their running backs among every team in the NFL this year. This is because they’ll be going from Alexander Mattison to Ashton Jeanty. Drafted sixth overall, Jeanty was a great running back prospect who was considered the top player at his position in the 2025 NFL Draft. It seems unlikely that he’ll be a big bust, so he’ll be much better than what the Raiders had at the position last year.
Jeanty and Smith will receive blocking from an offensive line that wasn’t rated very highly last year. Left tackle Kolton Miller continued to be great, however. A pleasant surprise was left guard Jordan Meredith, who performed well, albeit on a small sample size. Meredith started for the first time in his career and lasted about half the year. It’s unclear if the former undrafted free agent will be able to continue to thrive, but the Raiders can at least feel hopeful. They used a third-round pick on Caleb Rogers, who is an extremely agile guard with tons of upside.
Meanwhile, the other starting guard, Dylan Parham, is coming off a quality season as well. That’s it for the positives, as there are two liabilities on the front. Right tackle D.J. Glaze has potential as a second-year player, but he wasn’t highly thought of when he was drafted. Center Andre James is gone, leaving second-year Jackson Powers-Johnson in his wake. Powers-Johnson struggled as a rookie, but has upside as a former second-round pick.
2025 Las Vegas Raiders Defense:
The Raiders also lost defensive personnel last year, but not to trade. The defense, particularly the front line, was so ravaged by injury that the team went from ninth in points allowed to 25th.
The defensive line was supposed to be the strength of the Raiders, but it could barely function after some injuries. Maxx Crosby, known as one of the lethal edge rushers in the NFL, missed five games and wasn’t healthy for several others. This would explain why his sack total dropped from 14.5 in 2023 to 7.5 last year. Crosby was far from the only Raider defensive lineman to endure injury issues. Crosby’s bookend, Malcolm Koonce, didn’t play a single snap because of a knee injury he suffered in August. The Raiders’ big offseason acquisition from a year ago, Christian Wilkins, was on the field for five games because of injuries.
If Crosby, Koonce and Wilkins can all stay healthy, the Raiders will be able to generate one of the best pass rushes in the NFL, which will be vital in a division comprised of Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix. Tyree Wilson and Adam Butler, who had 4.5 and five sacks last year, respectively, will also contribute, as will newly signed run-stuffer Leki Fotu.
The improved Las Vegas pass rush will do wonders for the secondary, which needs all the help it can get. The Raiders have struggled to stop the pass for many years, and things won’t get any easier without a bolstered pass rush. This is because the top member of the defensive backfield, Tre’Von Moehrig, is no longer on the team. The Raiders signed Jeremy Chinn to replace Moehrig, but while Chinn is a solid player, he isn’t as good as Moehrig. Chinn will start next to Isaiah Pola-Mao, who was a big liability last year.
Things aren’t any better at cornerback because the Raiders also lost the top player at the position via free agency with Nate Hobbs departing. The team’s trio of cornerbacks will be Jakorian Bennett, Eric Stokes, and Darnay Holmes unless third-round rookie Darien Porter can emerge as a starter. This is a very bleak situation. Both Bennett and Holmes struggled for the Raiders last year, while Stokes was a colossal first-round bust in Green Bay.
The linebacking corps also lost its top player, with Robert Spillane departing. Linebacker had been a big problem area for the Raiders before Spillane emerged in 2023. Now, the Raiders are back to square one, with two of Germaine Pratt, Elandon Roberts, and Devin White projected to be the starters. Pratt and Roberts are good players in run support, but struggle in coverage. White, meanwhile, was once considered an up-and-coming talent, but wasn’t able to play anywhere last year.
2025 Las Vegas Raiders Schedule and Intangibles:
Daniel Carlson has been a brilliant kicker for the Raiders over the past five years. He was great last season, hitting 34-of-40 attempts, including 7-of-11 from 50-plus.
A.J. Cole has ranked in the top five of net punting in each of the previous four seasons. He was fifth in 2024, and he also did a good job of pinning the oppositon inside the 20.
The Raiders play a last-place schedule, so they get to take on the Patriots, Colts, Titans, Cowboys, Giants, and Browns.
2025 Las Vegas Raiders Rookies:
Go here for the Raiders Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.
2025 Las Vegas Raiders Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
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Projection: 6-11 (4th in AFC West)
2024 Projection: 10-7. 2024 Actual Result: 4-13.
2023 Projection: 2-15. 2023 Actual Result: 8-9.
2022 Projection: 10-7. 2022 Actual Result: 6-11.
2021 Projection: 5-12. 2021 Actual Result: 10-7.
2020 Projection: 8-8. 2020 Actual Result: 8-8.
2019 Projection: 3-13. 2019 Actual Result: 7-9.
2018 Projection: 10-6. 2018 Actual Result: 4-12.
2017 Projection: 12-4. 2017 Actual Result: 6-10.
2016 Projection: 9-7. 2016 Actual Result: 12-4.
NFL Draft Team Grade: C Grade
Goals Entering the 2025 NFL Draft: The Raiders made a strange decision to trade for Geno Smith this offseason. Given what they did, it’s apparent that they believe they can compete for the division right now, so they’ll need to find the best players available to help them do that. They have no viable running back or a No. 1 receiver. Their offensive line and secondary are both sorely in need of upgrades as well.
2025 NFL Draft Accomplishments: The Raiders selected the best running back in the 2025 NFL Draft class, but that doesn’t mean it was a good decision. There were so many talented running backs available in the second round, so logic dictates that it was smart to wait on a runner. The Raiders disagreed, drafting Jeanty only to help Pete Carroll’s son, who is the running game coordinator on the Raiders. Drafting based on nepotism doesn’t seem like the best strategy.
The Raiders’ draft class didn’t improve following the Jeanty pick. I loved the Carlos Rogers selection, but that was the only one that scored above a B+. The Raiders had four choices that were “C” or worse, as they reached often throughout the weekend. The Raiders also made the mistake of passing on Shedeur Sanders repeatedly when he would have been a great option to groom behind Geno Smith.
This was not a great draft from the Raiders. It wasn’t terrible, but it was rather underwhelming.
NFL Draft Individual Grades:
6. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State – C- Grade
I’m not crazy about this pick. Ashton Jeanty is obviously a great running back prospect, but I don’t think he’s on an elite level like Saquon Barkley or Christian McCaffrey. I would only draft those sort of players in the top 10. If I were the Raiders, I would have drafted Armand Membou instead or tried to trade down. However, I can’t grade Las Vegas poorly for this because Jeanty will be a very good player. Still, with Chip Kelly on the staff, couldn’t the Raiders have drafted one of the Ohio State backs with their second pick?
58. Jack Bech, WR, TCU – B+ Grade
No Shedeur Sanders is interesting. The Raiders needed to find a receiver after losing Davante Adams during the 2024 season. Jack Bech had a great Senior Bowl and answered some questions about his separation issues during the pre-draft process.
68. Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State – B Grade
Cornerback has been an issue for a long time. Perhaps Darien Porter will solve that issue. Porter is a big cornerback who fits this range, but there are some speed concerns with him.
98. Caleb Rogers, G, Texas Tech – A+ Grade
I love this pick. The Raiders are addressing their offensive line once again, which is automatically a plus. Caleb Rogers is an extremely agile offensive lineman who possesses insane upside. He was one of my favorite sleepers this year.
99. Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary – B+ Grade
I don’t like this offensive line pick as much as the Caleb Rogers selection, but I’m still a fan. Charles Grant is a quick and athletic blocker who was very consistent in school. The level of competition is a concern, but that’s why Grant lasted until the third round.
108. Dont’e Thornton, WR, Tennessee – C Grade
It makes sense for the Raiders to select a receiver, given that they need talent there in the wake of the Davante Adams trade. However, Dont’e Thornton is a bit of a reach at this spot. I thought he’d go in the sixth or seventh round despite his size and speed combination. Also, why pass up on Shedeur Sanders?
135. Tonka Hemingway, DT, South Carolina – D Grade
The Raiders drafted an undersized defensive tackle over a potential franchise quarterback. Unreal. It’s going to be tough for Tonka Hemingway to stick in the NFL because he doesn’t have a natural position.
180. J.J. Pegues, DT, Ole Miss – B- Grade
J.J. Pegues is a versatile defensive lineman, but he struggled at the combine. Still, I don’t mind the Raiders drafting someone who can help them up front after all the injuries they suffered in that area last year.
213. Tommy Mellott, QB, Montana State – B Grade
Tommy Mellott was getting some buzz late in the draft. He’s an interesting prospect, as he’s small but very mobile. Perhaps the Raiders can develop him.
215. Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State – C Grade
The Raiders sure love their Division I-AA quarterbacks. They’ll be using Tommy Mellott at receiver, while Cam Miller will be the developmental quarterback. However, Miller isn’t someone I believed should be drafted despite his great production at North Dakota State.
222. Cody Lindenberg, LB, Minnesota – B Grade
Cody Lindenberg seems like a two-down player in the NFL. He needs to prove that he won’t be a complete liability in coverage. He makes sense here in the seventh round.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
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