The Las Vegas Raiders may have sunk their chances of landing a top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft due to their recent two-game winning streak. They hold the No. 8 pick in the draft, per Tankathon, which could be too low to draft a quarterback without trading up.
However, the Raiders have plenty of other needs. One of the biggest needs is at wide receiver. The team traded away Davante Adams to the New York Jets and doesn’t have a deep receiving corps.
Jakobi Meyers is back next season but he makes more sense as a high-end No. 2 wide receiver than a No. 1. In a recent mock draft, from Josh Edwards of CBS Sports, he projects the Raiders to select Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick.
“Davante Adams is gone in Las Vegas,” Edwards wrote in a Jan. 2 mock draft. “If the Raiders can not solve their quarterback problem in the first round, then they can supplement the spots around that position. Tetairoa McMillan is a big-bodied pass catcher that can make plays downfield for whoever ends up being that quarterback.”
At 6-foot-5, McMillan is a massive wide receiver who could help solve the red zone woes that have plagued the Raiders for years. He’s also extremely productive and set the record for most receiving yards in the history of Arizona this season. He’s the best pure wide receiver in the draft and would give the Raiders an exciting young duo of pass catchers between McMillan and tight end Brock Bowers.
Scouting Report on Tetairoa McMillan
If the Raiders can’t land a top quarterback in the draft, the best thing they can do is make life easy for whoever the starting quarterback is next season. Having a big-bodied wide receiver like McMillan would surely take a lot of pressure off a quarterback.
Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team had a lot of good things to say about the young wide receiver.
“McMillan has the kind of hands that a quarterback will come to love,” Crabbs wrote in a Nov. 11 scouting report. “He’s effortless with how he plucks the ball away from his frame, vacuums in passes quickly, and converts into a run-after-the-catch athlete. McMillan is a successful target in all three levels of the field, too.
“This boosts his outlook for immediate impact, although he does have room for growth in his release package vs. press and his route savvy to create extra separation. Teams that run a lot of 3×1 with isolation on the back side should have an eye toward McMillan’s game, particularly if they are more of a vertical-oriented passing attack.”
Other Non-QB Needs for Raiders
While wide receiver is a big need for the Raiders, there are plenty of other holes to fill on this roster. Las Vegas could really use a No. 1 cornerback. Michigan’s Will Johnson would fill that role nicely.
The team could also use some more depth on the defensive and offensive lines. Running back is also a major need, but they’ll be more likely to address that later in the draft. Depending on free agency, the Raiders may also end up having needs at safety and linebacker.
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