The Las Vegas Raiders may have a secret weapon for the 2025 NFL Draft. This “ace in the hole” provides the rebuilding Raiders with insider knowledge and the ability to identify hidden games.
Will the Raiders’ Secret Weapon Give Las Vegas the Edge in the 2025 NFL Draft?
SI’s Albert Breer believes a former college football coach and new Raiders staffer holds the key to unlocking success for Las Vegas in the upcoming draft.
“A generation ago, Pete Carroll used his institutional knowledge from coaching nine years at USC to help GM John Schneider build a loaded roster in Seattle,” Breer said. “A generation before that, Jimmy Johnson did the same, coming from Miami and constructing the powerhouse 1990s Dallas Cowboys.”
Carroll built up the Seattle Seahawks into a Super Bowl championship-winning squad after doing the same at USC, proving that he may be a secret weapon when developing the Raiders’ roster into a successful unit. However, there’s another coach in Las Vegas who could provide a similar institutional impact.
“So who could have that sort of advantage in this year’s draft? New Raiders OC Chip Kelly spent last year at Ohio State, and the six before that at UCLA, giving him intimate knowledge of players through the Midwest and West Coast, starting with the guys he coached,” Breer said.
“The national champion Buckeyes have more players invited to the [NFL Combine] (15) than anyone else, so the new Carroll–John Spytek regime in Las Vegas should be well-positioned both with that group, UCLA players, and those who played against Ohio State and UCLA over the last two or three years.
“To me, these are the sorts of things that can help make and break draft classes, in the knowledge these coaches have on who the players are, and not just who to go all-in on, but also who to avoid.”
How Chip Kelly’s History Helps the Raiders’ Draft Strategy
Kelly’s intimate familiarity with the players he coached directly and those he game-planned against could prove invaluable for the Raiders’ draft strategy. This gives Las Vegas a unique edge in evaluating top talent and could set them up for a strong run in a highly competitive AFC West.
While at Oregon, Kelly was the 2009 and 2010 Pac-10 Coach of the Year. He went 46-7 overall and 2-2 in bowl games. In two of his four seasons there, the Ducks finished in the top three in the AP Poll.
Kelly got off to a hot start as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in his first two seasons at the helm but was fired at the end of the 2015 campaign after going 6-9. In that fateful third year, his offense had a severe turnover problem, ranking 29th in giveaways. Kelly’s defense was last in the league in rushing yards allowed and 28th in passing yards allowed. He only lasted one season as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
in his six seasons at UCLA, the Bruins were 35-34, going 1-1 in bowl games. Kelly’s first three seasons from 2018-2020 were rough, but his squad rebounded nicely from 2021-2023. UCLA’s highest rank in the AP Poll peaked at No. 9.
Kelly’s lone season as offensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2024 saw the Buckeyes offense finish with the third-most yards per play in the FBS and tied for the most touchdowns in the subdivision with the Miami Hurricanes.
Who Kelly Might Target in the 2025 NFL Draft
In Joe DeLeone’s 7-round 2025 NFL mock draft, he has the Raiders selecting Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the 6 pick overall.
“The Raiders can’t continue to shuffle quarterbacks, they need steadiness with a high-floor prospect like Shedeur Sanders. The Colorado signal-caller is a cerebral decision-maker with pinpoint accuracy who will hit the ground running with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly,” DeLeone said.
Sanders seems like a perfect fit for Kelly’s up-tempo style. According to DeLeone, Kelly will also benefit from selecting Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden and Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson.
“After finding the quarterback of their future, it’s time to find him targets outside of Brock Bowers. Matthew Golden is the most well-rounded receiver prospect in the class, displaying consistent hands, efficient route running, and impact after the catch,” DeLeone said.
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“This season at Ohio State, Chip Kelly created a surplus of splash plays with TreVeyon Henderson. Now he can recapture that spark by drafting him early in the third round.”
With 10 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft — more importantly two in the third round — the Raiders have an incredible opportunity to haul in a transformative rookie class that could shift the power in a tough division.
