NFL Draft wrap: Las Vegas Raiders address needs on defense, draft two FCS QBs

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The 2025 NFL Draft is here.

For Las Vegas sports fans, there have been two major questions looming: What will the Raiders do with their first-round pick, and who will break UNLV Football's 15-year draft drought?

We've now got the answer to the first big question: the Raiders confirming widespread predictions and choosing Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

We'll update this report throughout the weekend with the latest draft news as it develops.

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NFL Draft: Rounds 4-7

Draft update: Make that double...

Linebacker Jackson Woodard will be joining fellow UNLV Rebel member Ricky White III with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. Both will be breaking UNLV's 15-year draft drought.

Draft update: UNLV standout makes the cut

UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III is headed to Seattle.

The Seahawks took White in the seventh round at pick No. 238. This pick comes on the heels of two historic seasons for the Rebel football program and breaks UNLV's 15-year NFL Draft drought.

Channel 13 sports reporter Nick Walters talked to White's dad, Ricky White Jr., on UNLV's Pro Day about what this step would mean for his son. Watch it here:

'It's a surreal moment': UNLV Football families await potentially historic NFL Draft

Draft update: The Raiders add another D-man

With what's expected to be their final pick of the 2025 draft, the Las Vegas Raiders choose Minnesota linebacker Cody Lindenberg. He's their third defensive addition of the day.

Lindenberg was a first-team All-Big Ten in 2024 and led his team with 94 tackles.

If nothing changes, that should be a wrap for the Silver and Black. Channel 13's sports reporters will break down the draft board in our post-draft special at 4 p.m. Saturday. Watch it live here.

Draft update: The Raiders took a quarterback

Make that two of them.

Montana State's Tommy Mellott is the Las Vegas Raiders' 213th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, and North Dakota State's Cam Miller is the 215th pick.

Mellott is billed as a double-threat QB and could convert to wide receiver for the Silver and Black. He won the Walter Payton Award for top player in the FCS last season.

Miller is billed as a four-year starter with a history of winning games. NFL analysts projected he would go undrafted this year but likely break into the league as a free agent. Scouts noted his mobility as a strength, along with his better-than-4:1 career touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Notably, the Silver and Black took Mellott and Miller with Texas QB Quinn Ewers still on the board. Some speculated Pete Carroll's connection to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian could have worked in Ewers' favor this draft.

The Raiders have one pick left to go this draft, and they're expected to make it at No. 222.

Draft update: Making the call

While it's the 19th NFL Draft for head coach Pete Carroll, this is John Spytek's first time calling the shots as a general manager.

Channel 13 sports reporter Taylor Rocha asked them what it's like to turn a draft prospect's dream into reality.

Draft update: The Raiders' pick at 180

The Raiders add to their defense with the 180th pick of the NFL Draft, selecting Mississippi defensive lineman JJ Pegues.

Scouting reports praised Pegues for his versatility, noting his use at Ole Miss as a short-yardage runner on offense.

"Pegues can be hell on wheels when he’s motivated and has it cranked up," NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote.

Draft update: Here come the D-men

With the 135th pick of the NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders select South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway.

At 6-foot-3-inches and 294 pounds, Hemingway was praised in scouting reports for his arm span and athleticism (he ranked No. 1 among 2025 defensive tackle prospects in that category).

Analysts noted Hemingway is not a disciplined run defender but has a surprising ability to be disruptive and get into gaps given his size.

Round 4 is done, and unless John Spytek tries to trade up, the Raiders don't have any picks in Round 5. They'll pick three times in Round 6, at 180, 213 and 215.

Draft update: A speedy wide receiver to the Raiders

The Raiders make their first pick of the day at 108, taking Tennessee wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Thornton played his first two college seasons for the Ducks in Oregon before transferring to the Vols. In 2024, he led the team with 661 receiving yards on 26 receptions and scored six receiving touchdowns. He also led the FBS with 25.4 yards per reception.

We expect the Raiders to pick again at No. 33 in the fourth round.

Draft update: The lightning rounds are here

One of the biggest questions for football fans going into Day 3...who's going to take Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders?

The general consensus for the Raiders on Day 3: Most projections are defense-heavy in the later rounds, although the quarterback question still stands. If they take a QB, our money is on Quinn Ewers (Texas) or Will Howard (Ohio State).

Day 3 is also a potentially exciting one for some of the top prospects out of Las Vegas, including UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III and linebacker Jackson Woodard. If they get taken, the UNLV standouts are expected to go in the later rounds, so we'll keep an eye out for that.

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NFL Draft: Rounds 2 and 3

Draft update: John Spytek and Pete Carroll talk Day 2 draft strategy

In total, the Raiders made four draft selections in rounds 2 and 3. They discussed their strategy, their picks, and looked ahead to day three of the draft with reporters. Watch here:

Raiders presser rounds 2 and 3

Draft update: Back-to-back picks for Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock with the 98th and 99th picks of the NFL Draft (and what should be their final picks on Friday night).

With those back-to-back picks, the Raiders beef up their offensive line with Texas Tech's Caleb Rogers and William & Mary's Charles Grant.

Justin Rex/AP

Mike Caudill/AP

Draft update: With the 68th pick, the Las Vegas Raiders select...

Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter. At 6-foot-3-inches and 195 pounds, Porter matches the size of defensive backs that Pete Carroll had in the Legion of Boom, Channel 13 sports reporter Nick Walters notes.

In scouting reports, Porter's athleticism and special teams talent earned him praise, though analysts noted he has just one year of starting experience at cornerback. In 2024, he tied for fourth in the FBS with two blocked kicks and tallied 18 tackles and three interceptions.

Draft update: The pick is in!

The Las Vegas Raiders make their first of four draft selections on Friday night (barring any more surprise trades), adding a fresh wide receiver to their roster with the addition of TCU's Jack Bech.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 214-pound receiver led the Horned Frogs in receiving in the 2024 season with 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns.

Richard W. Rodriguez/AP

His brother, Tiger, an All-Ivy League return specialist at Princeton, was killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah says of the Bech selection: "They got tougher in Las Vegas."

"Ashton Jeanty might be the toughest runner in this draft. Jack Bech may be the toughest receiver in this draft," he said.

If Spytek doesn't make additional trades, the Raiders will pick three times in Round 3: at 68, 98 and 99.

Draft update: Raiders make another trade

On the clock with the 48th overall pick, the Las Vegas Raiders made a trade with the Houston Texans that brings their total draft selections to 11 — barring any additional trades.

The Raiders gave No. 48 to Houston in exchange for the 58th and 99th picks of the draft.

John Spytek has now traded back twice on Day 2 — a plan he hinted at on Thursday night.

"I see a lot of good players that are going to be available... Maybe an opportunity to move down and get more of those players," Spytek said.

Draft update: The pick is in...for Miami.

The Las Vegas Raiders traded their 37th pick to the Miami Dolphins and now have the 48th overall pick (16th pick of Round 2).

In their trade with Miami, the Raiders gave up picks No. 37 and 143 and gained an extra draft selection in the process. The Raiders now own picks 48, 98 and 135.

Draft update: Introducing Ashton Jeanty

Raiders' first-round pick Ashton Jeanty caught up with reporters to talk about his NFL Draft experience and his thoughts on Las Vegas. Watch it here:

Raiders' first-round pick Ashton Jeanty shares more about his NFL Draft experience

Draft update: Previewing Day 2 for the Raiders

Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft is here, and there's no clear-cut theory on what John Spytek and Pete Carroll may do with their second and third picks. The Raiders still have needs to fill at wide receiver and cornerback, and they may fulfill one of those in Round 2 or 3.

• Barring any trades, the Raiders have Picks 37 and 68 on Friday night (the fifth pick of Round 2 and the fourth pick of Round 3).

One name has come up pretty often in Day 2 talks, and that's Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. If he's still on the board when Pick 37 comes around, we wouldn't be surprised to see him end up in Silver and Black.

Meanwhile, the specter of a "quarterback of the future" still haunts the Raiders' draft discussion boards. Leading up to the draft, there's been no shortage of discussion of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and the Raiders.

Some other names to watch on Friday night: We know the Raiders met with Ohio State QB Will Howard and Texas QB Quinn Ewers, and a Howard pick would reunite Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly with the QB he coached for the Buckeyes.

When to watch: Channel 13's draft special starts at 3 p.m., followed by ABC World News Tonight. Round 2 of the NFL Draft kicks off at 4 p.m.

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NFL Draft: Round 1

Draft update: Raiders talk first-round pick

In a press conference after the first round of the NFL Draft, Raiders general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll talk about running back Ashton Jeanty and the anticipation for the second round. Watch it here:

Raiders presser

Draft update: Ashton Jeanty speaks to Channel 13

After he was chosen, Channel 13 had the chance to get on a Zoom call with Jeanty to ask about his first impression of Las Vegas and the Raiders.

Channel 13 talks to Ashton Jeanty about being picked to Las Vegas Raiders

For Jeanty, the feeling of being picked was exactly what he imagined it would be.

Taylor rocha talks to Jeanty

Draft update: Pete Carroll's cryptic posts

With the draft underway, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is having a little fun with Raider Nation on social media, posting a series of cryptic "draft clues" on his X account.

"Draft Clue #1," for example, a gif from the new "Sinners" movie starring Michael B. Jordan, set off a flurry of speculation, including our personal favorite "He's holding him... 'Jeantly,'" (courtesy of the Raiding the Kingdom podcast).

Carroll's trail of breadcrumbs continues with four more clues you can see on his X account, but we can sum it up (poorly) here, too.

• Draft clue #2: a gif of "Snoop Doggy Dogg"
• Draft clue #3: A screenshot of lyrics from the Outkast song "So Fresh, So Clean" that reads "Teddy Pendergrass, cooler than Freddie Jackson / Sipping a milkshake in a snowstorm."
• Draft clue #4: A short clip from the AppleTV series "Ted Lasso" in which Ted beats the villainous Rupert at darts.
• Draft clue #5: John Cena holding up a WWE championship belt.

Speculate away, Raiders fans...

Draft update: THE PICK IS IN

With their first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Boise State running back and Heisman trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty.

Barring any trades, the Raiders have just one pick in the first round: No. 6.

Up until about 24 hours before the draft, most analysts were aligned with Jeanty as the top contender for the Silver and Black.

If they didn't take Jeanty, there was speculation the Raiders could have looked to strengthen their offensive line with someone like Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, Jr. or Missouri OT Armand Membou.

Channel 13 sports reporter Nick Walters talked through the Raiders' draft options with ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum:

Breaking down the Raiders' options in the upcoming NFL Draft with ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum

Sports

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Scripps News Group

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How many draft picks do the Raiders have?

Barring any trades, new Raiders general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll will have nine selections this go-around. Those include the following:

• Round 1, Pick 6 (sixth overall)
• Round 2, Pick 5 (37th overall)
• Round 3, Pick 4 (68th overall)
• Round 4, Pick 6 (108th overall)
• Round 5, Pick 5 (143rd overall)
• Round 6, Pick 4 (180th overall)
• Round 6, Pick 37 (213th overall)
• Round 6, Pick 39 (215th overall)
• Round 7, Pick 6 (222nd overall)

Las Vegas Raiders

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Which UNLV Rebels are expected to be drafted?

A UNLV player has not been selected in the NFL Draft since 2010, but this year's draft prospects are expected to change that.

Most of the speculation so far has centered around two top contenders: wide receiver Ricky White III and linebacker Jackson Woodard.

Both were top contributors to a historic turnaround for UNLV's football program over the past few years. If White or Woodard are picked, they're not projected to go until the later rounds of the draft, so we'll most likely have our answer on Saturday.

At the Rebels' Pro Day, Nick Walters talked to their family members to get their sense of excitement ahead of the draft:

'It's a surreal moment': UNLV Football families await potentially historic NFL Draft

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Where to watch the draft

This year's draft is broadcast live from Green Bay, Wisconsin on Channel 13. Here's when to watch:

• Round 1 is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday.
• Rounds 2 and 3 are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
• Rounds 4 through 7 are scheduled to air Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Channel 13 sports team will help capture the excitement and unpack all the developments with these exclusive draft specials:

• Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
• Friday at 3 p.m.
• Saturday at 4 p.m.

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