The Las Vegas Raiders have some pretty big positional needs that they need to address in the 2025 NFL Draft. But, they also have some cultural needs they need to address — guys that will help restore what being a Raider once stood for and meant.
Luckily for them, they can address both at the same time with one pick, and he could be a franchise changer.
Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders’ interior offensive line was not very good. You could make a case that even the two tackles, Kolton Miller and rookie DJ Glaze, struggled a ton, too. But, the two guard positions were a legit problem. Because of how the free agency market is at the position, the Raiders should address it in free agency. But, some of the franchise changers at the position will require teams to take them early in the draft. The Raiders may not want to do that.
However, if they did, there is the perfect guy waiting to be selected by them — a guy who was molded and created to wear Silver and Black in the 80s. Tyler Booker, the Alabama guard currently being mocked anywhere from outside the top 10 picks in the draft all the way to the back end of the first round, would be the perfect fit.
Now, taking him at pick No. 6 would be silly. But, who’s to say the Raiders don’t trade back for him? If they did, I’d suggest Raiders fans not get upset, he’s the real deal, and is exactly what most of the fan base grew up watching.
Alabama G Tyler Booker fits Raiders mold perfectly
One of the biggest reasons the Raiders hired Pete Carroll, the former Super Bowl winning head coach with the Seattle Seahawks, is that he is a culture builder. The culture we have seen from the Raiders over the last 20 years or so is not the same culture the Raiders had when they were winning Super Bowls. Restoring that is going to be one of the most important things over Pete Carroll’s contract.
That nastiness, grittiness, and just competitiveness overall is something the Raiders desperately miss. They have that on the offensive line with Jackson Powers-Johnson, the future of the offensive line. Now they need to keep adding guys like that. They can do so with Booker.
His recent quote at the combine immediately caught a lot of people’s attention, and man, he sounds like some of your favorite Raiders players from the 80s.
“The thing I love most about football is taking the love away from other people,” Booker said at the 2025 NFL Combine.
Does that not sound awesome? The play backs up the talk, too.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Booker was one of the more disciplined offensive linemen in the country last season. He had just six blown blocks all year, and that’s for both pass protection and run blocking. And he had just one holding penalty all year long. He’s legit, and he’s exactly what the Raiders need.
Last season the Raiders failed with Cody Whitehair, Andrus Peat, Dylan Parham, and Jordan Meredith, who all played guard snaps. They have to get it addressed. Trading back in the first round, or trading up from the second round may be the only way to get Booker, though.
