With the No. 99 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have selected Charles Grant, an offensive lineman out of William & Mary.
General Manager John Spytek has always focused on the trenches during his time as an executive, and he adds another lineman on Day 2 of the draft.
Grant is a player who projects to have a high ceiling, showing off elite potential at the FCS level. Grant dominated for the Tribe, earning FCS All-American honors in the last two years.
While the Raiders’ starters on the offensive line are set, Grant and fellow third-round pick Caleb Rogers out of Texas Tech have a chance to compete for depth spots or even starting roles.
Grant’s most appealing trait as a raw offensive line prospect is his size. He stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 311 pounds, and has room to fill out his massive frame.
The newest Raider has a massive midsection and long arms, as his arm length measured out at 34 and ¾ inches. He should be able to slow down AFC West defensive ends with his length.
NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein thought highly of Grant, giving him a third-round grade, where the Raiders ultimately took him.
Zierlien’s overview of the little-known Grant is as follows:
“Highly consistent performer with elite length and better technique than many prospects coming from a higher level of competition. Grant played with both urgency and positioning in William & Mary’s zone-heavy approach, but he needs to add bulk and improve his pad level to play with the drive and anchor needed as a pro. The former high school wrestler utilizes a bag of tricks with his protection approach and possesses adequate core strength to absorb a speed-to-power pass rush. He could develop into a solid pro as either a guard or tackle if he cleans up issues with hand usage.”
The Raiders were solid on the offensive line last season, but Spytek was not comfortable with the current group, so he added multiple offensive linemen on the first two days of the draft, including Grant, who has a high ceiling and could be an impressive player eventually.
The Raiders have six draft picks remaining as the 2025 NFL Draft wraps up on Saturday afternoon.
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HENDERSON, NV-- Heading into the season, the Las Vegas Raiders have many questions surrounding a defense replacing many of its starters from last season. Although the Raiders have had to make mass changes, their defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, returns. Over the past few seasons, Graham has routinely gotten the most out of a Raiders defense with few household names on it. He looks to do so again this season. Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham spoke following training camp. You can watch the entire interview below: Following training camp, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby spoke to the media. We have a partial transcript below. Q: On Jackson Powers-Johnson being his new protégé and what their relationship is like... Crosby: "Yeah, it's funny. It's something, like to be 100% real, like last year, I mean me and Jackson did not have a great relationship. I'm hard on guys, especially young dudes. Like, there's respect that's got to be earned when you come into this league, in this locker room, especially. Like, there's a certain standard I expect from the guys, and he did a lot - like the amount of growth he's had in the last year has been unbelievable. If I was sitting here a year ago and you would have told me all the stuff he did this offseason to get himself in this position he's in, I truly wouldn't believe you, but that's the beauty in this game. "Like you have a choice every day if you want to get better or you want to get worse. There's no such thing as staying the same, and that dude, he's got all the talent in the world. He's strong as a freaking ox, he's a great dude, he's a baller, but it's about the details. And he's come in this offseason with the mindset that he's going to take that next step, and he's done that. He's been super consistent. He's been dialed in on the details. He's been here. Me and him are the first guys here every single day, and he's been consistent with it the whole time. "And I can't say enough, like that's truly all I can ask for. If you show up, I mean it's not going to be easy. I mean, he definitely got off the hook a little bit because I was going through my injury, so I couldn't really kill him fully, but it was great having him get back this summer. He was going to Australia, comes back, and I got to really run him in the dirt, I'm healthy 100%, but that's what it's all about. "We're about pushing each other and getting better every day. So yeah, I'm so proud of that dude, and I know he's going to have his best season yet. I can go on and on about him, but the energy he brings is infectious." Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and weigh in on this take. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss this take
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been easing their way into training camp ahead of the 2025 season. The players have just been wearing helmets and shorts, and the pads will come on soon. Pittsburgh's training camp is always known as being one of the most intense in the league, and that is because Head Coach Mike Tomlin has his team go full contact, which is something other coaches around the NFL try to avoid. The pads will come on on Tuesday, and fans should expect to see some skirmishes as emotions rise throughout the rest of camp. Practices in just helmets and shorts are difficult for the big guys in the trenches. It is essentially impossible to simulate blocking without pads on, so the defenders and offensive linemen are itching for when the team gets to go full contact. Second-year offensive lineman Troy Fautanu spoke to the media on Sunday, and he shared how things have been going at practice, while also noting that the two sides of the ball have been going at it. "You know, there's a lot of banter going on between the offense and the defense right now." Fautanu said. "As you guys could tell yesterday, things got a little rowdy. I mean, that's something that's normal. I'm super excited just to finally be able to play real football, because as an offensive lineman it's the worst thing to play football in shorts and t-shirts." Fautanu is probably itching to get back to full contact more than others after missing nearly all of his rookie season in 2024. He played in one game in Week 2 before suffering a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the year. Tuesday will be the first time he gets to put the pads on and get truly physical in nearly a year. The way he described things, it sounds like there will probably be some confrontations as the offense and defense have already been going at it. Training camp is going to be a true test for Fautanu. He is the team's starting right tackle going into the season, and the organization is relying on the offensive line to take a step forward. He needs to try to live up to his first-round label, and he is going to have to do so while blocking TJ Watt in every practice. Watt is going to be moving around the defensive formation more often than usual, but most of his snaps will come when he is lined up over the right tackle. Fautanu is going to be tested on every snap, and if he can handle Watt, he can handle anyone in the league. Having to go up against Watt every day in practice is good for Fautanu in the long run. Practicing against the best is only going to make him better, and he won't have to block anyone during the 2025 regular season that is as good of a pass rusher as Watt. Steelers' Fautanu Could Solidify 2024 Draft For Pittsburgh It is already looking like the Steelers made a ton of right decisions during the 2024 NFL Draft. Zach Frazier had a spectacular rookie season in 2024, and he is looking like he could be one of the best centers in the league. Mason McCormick was a pleasant surprise at right tackle when he was thrust into the starting lineup, and it seems he has gotten considerably better over the course of the 2025 offseason. If Fautanu can prove he is the starting right tackle of the future for the Steelers, then the organization would have nailed three cornerstones of the franchise in just one draft. All contenders have solid offensive lines, and it looks like the Steelers might have one that could be great in the near future.
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not shy away from completely revamping the roster throughout the 2025 offseason. Both sides of the ball have seen significant change, which has left some wondering if the entire collective can build enough rapport before the meaningful games begin come September. The franchise will rely on the defense once again, while hoping that the offense can see improved results with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers under center. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered as the team works its way through training camp in Latrobe. One defensive unit that will be interesting to watch is the inside linebackers. Patrick Queen is going to look to improve after one year in the black and gold, and he will be accompanied by Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison. The most intriguing player of the bunch is probably Holcomb, as the veteran is expected to return after missing the entirety of the 2024 campaign following a devastating 2023 knee injury. Some could argue that bringing Holcomb back was a mistake, given that he may be extremely rusty once the regular season begins. A strong trio of Queen, Wilson and former Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts may have made more sense. Instead, Roberts signed a deal in free agency with the Las Vegas Raiders. The defender's new head coach, Pete Carroll, is noticing that Roberts is an incredible asset, which may lead to the Steelers regretting letting him leave. "I'm really impressed with what Elandon Roberts has brought us in terms of leadership and guidance and mentality and all of that, and so, we're kind of feeding off of him a little bit," Carroll said. "I'm anxious to see how that spreads with Devin White and Germaine [Pratt] coming in and those guys at the linebacker spot. It's a pretty exciting group." Holcomb is a big question mark for Pittsburgh's defense, mainly because he hasn't played competitively in so long. It was largely believed that he would be cut at some point, but it appears as if the organization believes he can still play at a high level. If an injury were to occur to either Queen or Wilson, the preferable number three option wouldn't be someone who hasn't played in nearly 20 months. Carroll's praise of Roberts highlights that the linebacker would have been a big-time asset once again in Pittsburgh during the 2025 season. Time will tell if allowing Roberts to leave in free agency was a mistake, but he is already turning heads in Las Vegas. Carroll is a veteran coach who knows when talent is right in front of him. It's clear that he is currently seeing that with Roberts. One of the craziest parts of the situation is that Roberts signed just a one-year deal valued at roughly $3 million. He was incredibly affordable, but the Steelers passed on bringing him back anyway. Holcomb's contract was restructured to keep him around, but Pittsburgh knows what it would have gotten with Roberts based on his play in the Steel City over the course of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Holcomb is a little bit of an unknown because no one is quite sure how he will rebound from the brutal injury that he sustained in Week 9 of the 2023 campaign. Steelers Will Be Relying On Having A Stout Defense Throughout 2025 Season While the offense is expected to get a boost with Rodgers running the show, Pittsburgh has always been, and likely always will be, about strong defensive performances. Roberts won't be contributing to the efforts in 2025, but the group in the Steel City is already causing excitement with training camp underway. Fans are hopeful that the departure of Roberts won't come back to bite the franchise, but Carroll's comments certainly lead one to believe it may have bit a mistake to let him walk over to Las Vegas in free agency.
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