Mailbag: What is best-case scenario for rounds 1 through 3?

Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week with less than one week until the draft

The 2025 NFL Draft is less than a week away as the first round gets going on Thursday! At this time next week, we’ll have several new Las Vegas Raiders to talk about as the Raiders are scheduled to make nine picks next weekend. But before all that, we have to get to our last pre-draft mailbag!

A: It involves Shedeur Sanders, but not in the way you think!

If Sanders makes it past the Browns and Giants and is still available at pick six, then trading back to No. 9 with the Saints would be the best-case scenario.

That would mean the Raiders only slide down three spots, and Ashton Jeanty, Will Johnson, Jahdae Barron, Will Campbell or Armand Membou could easily still be on the board. In other words, Las Vegas could still take the player they were going to select at six with the ninth pick while adding a third-rounder in the process.

Then, the front office could prioritize either a running back or cornerback like TreVeyon Henderson or Shavon Revel in round two, and have an extra third-round pick to add a starting-caliber linebacker and free safety. Also, this would essentially mean the Geno Smith trade would come out to a wash since the Raiders would get that second third-rounder back.

Granted, how interested the Saints are in Sanders is a big factor in this equation. But the organization’s relationship with Derek Carr seems to be souring, and the club could use a long-term quarterback anyway. So, I think it’s still reasonable that New Orleans makes a move to secure the future of their franchise.

A: Mason Graham is my top choice who could realistically be available. Next up would be Graham’s Michigan teammate, Johnson, but Johnson seems to be sliding recently. I’ve been a fan of Campbell for a while now and wouldn’t mind him at six either, but after diving into Membou’s game more, I’d probably go with Membou over Campbell.

Membou is a freaky athlete who has more tackle traits, whereas Campbell is a good player but profiles more like an interior guy. Because of that, I think the Missouri product has a better chance of being Kolton Miller’s long-term replacement (assuming Miller doesn’t get a contract extension) and would be the more valuable pick between the two linemen.

A: I’d consider Jeanty as more of a need pick than best player available. I think he’s the best running back in the class, but I value him more in the teens than a top 10 selection, and feel the guys mentioned above fit the BPA description better.

A: My colleague at Bleacher Report, Dame Parsons, summed up Jack Bech’s game pretty well and below is a snippet from Parsons’ scouting report.

“Overall, Jack Bech projects as a power slot, possession receiver who will thrive working the horizontal route concepts like crossers, dig/daggers, inside hitches, over routes, etc. Bech can become the glue guy for an NFL passing offense and handle the dirty work route concepts in the middle of the field with defenders converging from their landmarks. If a team can work past his athletic shortcomings, they will have a potential productive possession-style receiver.”

Bech’s fit with the Raiders would depend on how Jakobi Meyers’ contract negotiations are going. Those two have similar skill sets so if Meyers is going to get an extension, John Spytek and Pete Carroll would probably prioritize receivers who can win outside and have more speed.

Also, Bech will likely be a second-round pick and I’d be surprised if the Raiders took him or any receiver at 37, barring a first-round talent sliding.

Q: If a team is eager to trade for the sixth pick, given the lack of top-tier talent in this year’s draft class, would the Raiders be best served by taking their 2026 round 1 pick (plus appropriate 2025 compensation) rather than swapping 2025 picks? I want to ensure the Raiders can snag Drew Allar next year.

A: If the goal is to ensure the team has enough assets to get a quarterback next year, then yes, getting 2026 picks rather than a 2025 first-rounder is the route. The problem with that scenario is that you don’t know what the draft order will be next April, obviously.

So, you could be trading the sixth pick for a pick that ends up being in the 20s, depending on how the trade partner plays this season. The Khalil Mack trade is a decent example of that. Granted, the Raiders would also get whatever the additional 2025 compensation is too, but my point here is there’s a lot more risk/variance by trading for a pick this far away from the season.

It’s a bit of a ‘bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ situation, where the right course of action just depends on how much risk you’re willing to take.

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 [email protected] or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays. Sign up and go to the comments section.