Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week
We’re less than a month away from the 2025 NFL Draft as the rumors are swirling about who the Las Vegas Raiders will take with the sixth overall pick. There are also plenty of questions about what the Raiders will do at quarterback after the Geno Smith trade and several other positions to go over in this week’s mailbag. Let’s get to it!
Q: Is it crazy to think the Raiders are drafting Armand Membou sixth, getting a running back in the second round and drafting Jalen Milroe so he can sit behind Geno Smith?
A: That’s not crazy at all. Membou has a high ceiling and could be a long-term solution at left tackle since Kolton Miller is entering a contract year. Membou was a right tackle at Missouri and could play there or at guard next season and then move over to the blind side in 2026. That’s similar to what the Buccaneers did with Tristan Wirfs, so it’s not out of the question for John Spytek to do something similar with Membou.
As a whole, running back will be one of Las Vegas’ biggest priorities in the second round and I would expect them to take one by the third round, fourth at the latest. And drafting Milroe is definitely still on the table, especially since we don’t know what Geno Smith’s contract extension looks like yet.
Milroe is a project quarterback anyway so going to a team where he sits for a couple of years would be a great situation for him. Plus, that would give the Raiders a potential long-term option under center. If the Alabama product is still available in the third round like this scenario suggests, don’t be surprised if the Raiders take him.
A: Absolutely.
In addition to being in a contract year, Miller turns 30 in October and has battled injuries recently. So, this could be his last season with the club and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start thinking about a succession plan. That puts Will Campbell and Membou on the table at No. 6.
Either of those two could play guard for a year, or the front office could look into trading Miller during the draft if they pick Campbell or Membou. If the Patriots use the fourth pick on Travis Hunter or a wide receiver for Drake Maye, they might be interested in acquiring Miller. Also, Chicago could be another trade partner, just to name a couple of teams.
A: If we’re talking specifically about 3-technique defensive tackles and not nose tackle — which is a glaring need but not in the conversation with the sixth pick — offensive tackle. Christian Wilkins and Adam Butler are signed through 2027, so the more immediate need for youth is at OT.
Q: I know Spytek has said they liked drafting small school tackles and moving them inside. Is there anybody in the draft that you like to make that move?
Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
A: The transfer portal has limited the number of small school prospects in general, especially at offensive and defensive line, since prospects can easily go to bigger programs when they start getting some draft buzz as a freshman, sophomore or junior.
So, there aren’t many but there are three notable small school college tackles who could make the switch in this year’s class: North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel, William and Mary’s Charles Grant and Alabama A&M’s Carson Vinson.
Zabel has the highest profile of those three and has experience playing all five offensive line positions in college. He’s also already begun making the switch to the interior, lining up there during the Senior Bowl. Meanwhile, Grant and Vinson are more tackle prospects who could also play guard and are closer to the third round to early Day 3 categories.
Q: Do you think the Raiders would consider having Thayer Munford put on 20 pounds and move him inside to guard? He’s a pretty good run blocker, right?
A: Josh McDaniels’ coaching staff was cross-training Munford during his rookie season and he played guard during his senior year at Ohio State, so it’s a possibility. The former Buckeye was known for his run-blocking coming out of college but has struggled in that department in year one and last season.
With Dylan Parham, Alex Cappa and Jordan Meredith — and I wouldn’t be surprised if the front office adds another guard during the draft — already in place, I think Munford will probably stay as the Raiders’ swing tackle, though.
Q: Would you rather have Alex Cappa at $5.5 million per year or Mekhi Becton at $10 mil and, if Becton, why don’t you think the Raiders tried to sign him?
A: I’d take Becton since he’s coming off a better season and is younger. I don’t have any insights into why the Raiders’ pursuit of Becton or if they even tried to match/beat the Chargers‘ offer.
My guess would be Spytek’s and Tom Brady’s familiarity with Cappa was a big factor and the front office was clearly bargain-hunting during free agency, so they like the value more with Cappa. Also, it helped that he was available before free agency technically started and Becton’s injury history could have scared the Raiders away.
Q: What glaring holes are left to fill from the draft on the Raiders’ roster?
A: The biggest one is at linebacker with both of last year’s starters leaving in free agency and running back is a close second. Elandon Roberts and Raheem Mostert are on one-year deals and in their 30s. In other words, the team could use at least one long-term starting option at both positions.
Nose tackle is next up as Leki Fotu doesn’t move the needle much, in my opinion. Nickelback and free safety are also big needs. Thomas Harper could help fill those voids, but I wouldn’t rely on a second-year pro who was an undrafted free agent without at least bringing in some competition heading into training camp.
A: Free agency was disappointing and I’m worried about the losses on defense. The good news is the draft is deep at a lot of the Raiders’ needs to help mitigate the losses. I think the roster will probably be a year away from being a legitimate playoff contender next season even with a good draft since it will be relying on so many rookies. But it could be ready to go in 2026 if the Raiders hit on their picks of course.
A: I’d be in favor of taking a flier on Will Howard in the third round, so he’d be a great pickup in the fourth if available. I’m not as high on Quinn Ewers, though I wouldn’t complain about using a Day 3 pick on a potential long-term starting quarterback. I don’t think either would be a luxury pick since the plan would likely be to groom Howard or Ewers into a starter rather than compete with Aidan O’Connell for the backup job.
As far as what positions to prioritize, all three of the spots you mentioned could use some help. It’s just a matter of who is on the board when Las Vegas is on the clock at those draft slots.
Q: Since Raiders have shown a desire to trade Michael Mayer, I suggest flipping him and a fourth-round draft pick to the Patriots for Joe Milton. They can address their long term QB issues without having to use a 1st to 3rd round pick and thus can address other priorities. Your thoughts?
A: I think that’d be giving up a lot for a guy who was a sixth-round pick just a year ago and has only played in one regular-season game. If it’s Mayer OR a fourth-round pick, I’d consider it but both would be pretty rich.
The problem is if Mayer is gone, then the offense is going to need a blocking tight end. Ian Thomas could help fill that role, but Thomas is about to be 29 and has battled injuries recently, missing 17 games in the last two seasons.
The fourth-round pick might be the better option since, as you mentioned, the Raiders might be targeting a mid-round project quarterback anyway. But I’d be worried about getting Matt Flynn-ed, putting too much weight into a final regular season game performance.
Ideally, the 108th pick would be used on someone who can contribute off the bench right away and eventually develop into a starter. While Milton could fall into the latter category, it’s a small sample size to take that gamble on when another position group could get some help. To be clear, I don’t think Milton for a fourth would be a bad move, but I think it would be a risky one.
A: I don’t have any inside info but here’s what Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer had to say about the matter.
“I don’t think there’s a holdup. It’s more of just negotiation,” Breer wrote on March 26. “I also don’t think the Las Vegas Raiders move to land Smith without a strong feeling they could find common ground on an extension. The Seattle Seahawks, for their part, felt like they were doing Smith a favor with the trade in that Vegas had a better shot at doing a contract with him than Seattle did (they were far apart on the numbers at the end).
“But if you make me guess, I’d say the guarantees are probably what needs to be worked out.”
For what it’s worth, Spytek also referred to Smith on “Upon Further Review” with Eddie Paskal from the team’s website as the Raiders’ “starting quarterback for years to come”. It’s weird an extension hasn’t been agreed on yet, but it doesn’t sound like there’s reason to believe one won’t happen.
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.