Raiders mock draft 2025: Spytek, Carroll snag foundational piece in Michigan’s Mason Graham

Version 1.0 of a pre-combine, 3-round look at Las Vegas’ venture in the NFL Draft

First will come free agency when the new league year starts in March, but where general manager John Spytek, head coach Pete Carroll, and the other decision makers for the Las Vegas Raiders build the foundation for their football team is the draft in April.

The 2025 NFL Draft is the prime time event for the Silver & Black to infuse themselves with even more talent — some positions are in desperate need of it.

The 90th annual event emanates from Lambeau Field in Green Bay this year and the three-day event start in April 24 is going to be even further insight to what kind of football team Spytek and Carroll intend to field as they embark on their respective journeys as the new 1-2 combo under owner Mark Davis.

Thus, the initial version of my mock draft. This is only the first three rounds and I used various mock draft simulators to get a feel for the flow. Quite honestly, it’s a difficult with it being pre NFL Combine. But, for version 1.0, it’ll work.

Quick note here: Watching the picks go by until the Raiders’ sixth pick was nerve wracking considering I — like many — awaited to see if a quarterback prospect dropped.

Thus, the picks:

Round 1

No. 6 overall: Mason Graham, Defensive Tackle, Michigan

Make that three high-effort, high-octane players on the Raiders defensive front. Like edge rusher Maxx Crosby and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, Graham is an active defenders who is relentless and has uncanny endurance and stamina.

The Philadelphia Eagles showed just how lethal a natural front four pressure can be and with that in mind, I went with a defender that can make the Raiders’ front four fearsome.

At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, Graham explodes off the snap with quickness and you pair that with Wilkins and Crosby and you’ve got a trio of defensive lineman that the opposing offense must account for. Graham doesn’t have the strength to anchor and survive double teams — yet — but if he’s next to Wilkins and flanked by Crosby, an opposing offensive line would be foolish to double team this group.

If Rob Leonard, Wilkins, Crosby, and others can get Graham to develop a go-to rush move, this Wolverine will become even more rabid.

Miami’s Cam Ward was the first signal caller off the board, then Colorado’s Shedur Sanders. I thought about trading up, but the price was too steep (I wasn’t going to give up the No. 6 pick and No. 37 overall to jump up).

And with Michigan cornerback Will Johnson gone, too (the defender has the prototypical size, length, and takeaway skills that fit Carroll’s history of cornerbacks), I went with another Wolverine that was best player available (BPA).

Round 2

No. 37 overall: Omarion Hampton, Running Back, North Carolina

Carroll spent many a games on the sideline watching Beast Mode run rampant when Marshawn Lynch was de-cleating defenders and defenses, alike. Hampton brings that same mentality.

Well built at 6-feet and 220 pounds, has the size, speed, and ruthless aggression that make him a tough tackle. The Tarheel tailback brings balance, power, which makes him an ideal tone-setting running back for a Raiders offense that wants to run the ball. Hampton’s ability to fall forward or churn for extra yards is an endearing style for Carroll.

While he may not have the lateral movement skills or wiggle and his vision and choice could be improved, there’s no denying the runaway freight train nature of Hamptons style as he powered his way to 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns on 281 carries this past season for North Carolina.

Las Vegas’ running back room would leave any NFL personnel man in a quandary, but Hampton has the talent to boost the group tenfold.

Round 3

No. 68 overall: Will Howard, Quarterback, Ohio State

If there’s one person in the NFL that knows all of this signal caller’s strengths and weaknesses, it’s Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. And when I mentioned Kelly is the mid-whisperer, Howard is just the latest example of exactly that.

Before becoming the Buckeyes QB1, the 6-foot-4 and 235-pound signal caller spent four non-descript seasons at Kansas State. His highest output there was in 2023 when he threw for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions.

This past season, under Kelly’s play calling, Howard threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He went from completing 61.3 percent of his passes in 2023 to 73 percent in 2024. Granted, the talent level from Kansas State to Ohio State can be a quantum leap which means Howard was surrounded by a greater crew. But that’s quite the jump in production.

With solid arm strength and adequate functional mobility, Howard isn’t going to wow you right away, but he’s got the tools to succeed under Kelly.

No matter what the Raiders do in free agency to address the quarterback spot, adding Howard with a Day 2 pick gives the Raiders a quarterback the offensive coordinator is fascinatingly familiar with.

No. 73 overall: Tate Ratledge, Offensive Guard, Georgia

A pure brute who brings a devastating mauler-style with him, this Bulldog comes in and immediately puts Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith on notice.

Similarly brutal like Raiders 2024 second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson, Ratledge has the toss you out of the club power and strength. He’s a solid pass protector who uses his strong hands to control defenders and keep them at bay. Ratledge is also athletic enough to be a puller or get out in space to block at the second level.

Las Vegas needs to reinforce the trenches on both sides of the ball and with Graham snagged at sixth overall, landing Rutledge on Day 2 certainly adds quality prospects on the defensive and offensive lines.

For a Raiders offensive line that needs more ferocity and meanness, the mean streak Rutledge brings to the table would mesh perfectly with Powers-Johnson’s own aggression. And while many offensive linemen-needy teams are eyeing the Kansas City Chiefs’ Trey Smith in free agency, the Raiders could draft themselves a beast in Rutledge.