Raiders trade down (twice) and address needs on Day 2 of the draft

New York Times

26-04-2025

HENDERSON, Nev. — The number of holes the Las Vegas Raiders had remaining on their roster was talked about ad nauseam leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. That was largely the case because they were shrewd in free agency — they still have over $42.2 million in cap space according to Over the Cap — which struck some as odd considering they were coming off a 4-13 season.
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While the Raiders' brass defended that strategy, they had no illusions about the fact they needed to add a ton of help on both sides of the ball. Running back, receiver, linebacker and cornerback stood out as the biggest priorities, but they also hoped to add to the offensive line, defensive line and quarterback rooms, according to team sources.
'We wanted to create as much competition as we can. That's so important to this program, particularly as we get started,' coach Pete Carroll said Friday. 'Our players that are here know that that's coming.'
The Raiders crossed running back off the list when they took Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 on Thursday. Although they still held eight more picks in the rest of the draft, it was going to be difficult to knock out the rest of their lengthy to-do list by the end of it.
General manager John Spytek and Carroll improved their chances of doing so by trading down — not once, but twice — in the second round. First, they traded picks Nos. 37 and 143 to the Miami Dolphins in return for picks Nos. 48, 98 and 135. The Raiders didn't make that move planning to trade down again, but their phones started ringing once they got on the clock at pick No. 48. After negotiating, they shipped it off to the Houston Texans in return for picks Nos. 58 and 99.
'I wouldn't have sat here yesterday and thought we could do that. I think if you talked to a lot of people around the league, the value was in rounds 2 and 3,' Spytek said Friday. 'And, for us to have as many balls to shoot (as we did), that was something that we were after. … It was a spirited draft room up there. It was great.'
That left Las Vegas with four picks in the top 100 selections on Day 2: Nos. 58, 68, 98 and 99. The Raiders used those picks to draft TCU receiver Jack Bech, Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter, Texas Tech guard Caleb Rogers and William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant.
Bech will start immediately for the Raiders alongside Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. He played both outside receiver and in the slot throughout his college career and will likely continue to do both with the Raiders.
'He can do everything,' Carroll said. 'We'll find his spot for him, but we see him as versatile and we're counting on him to do a number of things.'
Meyers, Tucker and tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer also have the versatility to line up at both outside and slot receiver. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will be freed up to get creative with his personnel groupings and alignments in an effort to exploit mismatches with opposing defenses.
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'I can go and create mismatches, no matter if that's a cornerback, a nickel, a safety coming to roll down, a linebacker, whatever it may be,' Bech said Friday. 'I love working in the middle of the field. I also love going on an island with the cornerback and going and beating him one-on-one. … I just can be very flexible anywhere in the formation, and I'm excited to go learn this whole playbook inside and out and go show these coaches and this organization what I can do.'
The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler compared Bech's play style to Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua. Bech (6-foot-1, 214 pounds) and Nacua (6-2, 212) are similarly built and each lack dynamic speed, but they excelled in college due to their route running, ability to pick up additional yardage after the catch, ball skills and physicality. Nacua has done the same in the NFL, and now Bech will attempt to do the same.
'I think I'm kind of that mix of Puka and Cooper Kupp,' Bech said. 'I love seeing what defenses are doing before they do it. I love going in there and putting my nose in the mix. Like I said, if that's a linebacker or the safety, (I'm) going down in there and blocking. I love going to catch the ball over the middle. I love using my size and my strength to be able to get open. … I would say my game compares to those guys.'
Porter is a big bet on potential. He spent his first three seasons at Iowa State as a backup receiver before he transitioned to cornerback in 2022. He won a starting role in 2024 following two seasons as a backup, but he was still only a rotational player. He finished his career with more special teams snaps (970) than defensive snaps (694).
That's about as raw as it gets, but Porter has tantalizing traits. He's 6-3, 195 pounds, ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the combine, has long arms and is an exceptional athlete. He's 24, so he's an older prospect, but his game still needs a lot of refinement.
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'He's a lot like Richard Sherman was,' Carroll said. 'Richard Sherman was a wide receiver at Stanford until (Jim) Harbaugh kicked him over to the other side. … He had one year playing corner. There's a lot of similarities (with those) two. … I have really high expectations for how this works out with Darien. He fits the mold.'
Porter will need to compete with Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson and Eric Stokes to carve out a role as a rookie. At the least, he should be a special-teams contributor right away while he continues to learn the position.
'I don't want to shy away from running down on punts or blocking kicks and field goals,' Porter, who blocked five kicks in his college career, said Friday. 'I want to be that guy still too, on top of being a great lockdown cornerback.'
Rogers and Grant give offensive line coach Brennan Carroll a couple of projects to work with. Rogers started 35 of 61 career games at Texas Tech at right tackle, but he also started games at left tackle, left guard and right guard. The Raiders drafted him to play guard, so he'll join a competition between Alex Cappa, Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith.
Grant was a mainstay at left tackle during his five-year college career and started 41 games. He could potentially transition to right tackle and compete with starter DJ Glaze as a rookie, but the Raiders could also groom him as a long-term replacement for left tackle Kolton Miller, who didn't report to voluntary offseason workouts and is entering the final year of his contract and looking for a new deal. Even if Miller and Glaze remain the starters in 2025, Grant could compete with Thayer Munford to become the swing tackle.
'It's well documented: I love my linemen,' Spytek said. 'If we would've come out of the first draft here without at least a couple of them, we would've been doing it wrong.'
The Raiders currently hold six picks on the last day of the draft: Nos. 108, 135, 180, 213, 215 and 222. The most intriguing position the Raiders have yet to address is quarterback. Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Texas' Quinn Ewers and Ohio State's Will Howard are a few quarterbacks who could be worth taking a flier on to sit and learn behind starting quarterback Geno Smith.
'Sure,' Spytek said when asked if he considered drafting a quarterback in the first three rounds. 'We continue to maintain that we're always considering every position, especially quarterback. So far, it hasn't fallen our way with the evaluations that we had, but we'll continue to do that with these six picks going forward.'
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Beyond that, the later rounds are more about taking dice rolls on developmental prospects. Still, it's possible the Raiders could add players who wind up making an immediate impact. It should be remembered that defensive end Maxx Crosby was the 106th pick in 2019 and went on to become the best player on the team. Perhaps Spytek and Carroll can find another Day 3 gem.
(Top photo of Jack Bech: Eakin Howard / Getty Images)