The Raiders‘ search for a new head coach reached its conclusion Friday as former Seahawks and USC head coach Pete Carroll was hired by Las Vegas. Carroll must now execute the plan on which he sold Raiders leadership to rise from the depths of the AFC West to its peak. 

Here is one potential roadmap to ensure Las Vegas takes that step under Carroll’s direction:

All prospect rankings via CBSSports.com’s consensus rankings.

Round 1, pick 6: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

In an ideal world, Las Vegas would be able to move around and select a quarterback, presumably Sanders. The son of NFL legend Deion Sanders is no stranger to pressure and shouldering the hopes of an entire program. In his final season in Boulder, he completed 74% of his pass attempts for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Tom Brady and Carroll move on from the quarterback platoon of Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder. 

Round 2, pick 37: WR Matthew Golden, Texas

Golden was difficult to defend in the second half of the season, particularly in the College Football Playoffs. He breaks sharply out of his route and shows good acceleration post-catch. His ability to track the ball downfield is a strength, and he greatly improved upon his issue with focus drops. The Houston transfer caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns this season. 

Round 3, pick 68: CB Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State

If not for the availability of Sanders, Las Vegas likely would have gone defense at No. 6 overall: defensive tackle, edge rusher or cornerback. The Raiders address one of those points of weakness in the top-100 overall. Thomas has great length on the boundary, as well as a few collegiate interceptions to his name. Think back to the “Legion of Boom” and the length that unit maintained. There is not exactly a wealth of competition on the roster in that role. 

Round 3, pick 73: WR Savion Williams, TCU

Double dipping at the wide receiver position may seem like overkill, but Las Vegas has little at the position beyond Tre Tucker, who had some bright moments in 2024. Tight end Brock Bowers is sensational, but the addition of two wide receivers essentially ensures that at least one will bear fruit for the rookie quarterback. Williams, a former five-star recruit out of high school, caught 60 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns this season.

For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the First Pick” — our year-round NFL Draft podcast with draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen to the latest episode below!

Round 4, pick 106: DT Ty Hamilton, Ohio State

Hamilton showed his worth during the College Football Playoffs as he consistently stonewalled the opposition in the run game. He offers little in terms of pass rush potential, but should serve as worthwhile depth at the very least. Las Vegas signed Christian Wilkins to a lucrative contract last offseason, but depth will be important moving forward. 

Round 5, pick 143: OL Jonah Monheim, USC

Las Vegas found a few useful pieces to its offensive line in last year’s draft with Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze, but the goal is to always add a few rookies in hopes that one develops into a starter or even functional depth in a key spot. 

Round 6, pick 181: OT Hollin Pierce, Rutgers

Pierce is just a gamble on creating competition at those offensive tackle spots. Pierce would presumably backup Kolton Miller at left tackle but could challenge Glaze and Thayer Munford for the starting right tackle job. Pierce is a hulking figure who struggled with pliability. 

Round 6, pick 213: RB Ja’Quinden Jackson, Arkansas

Why wait for a running back this late when the roster was forced to empower Ameer Abdullah, Alexander Mattison and Zamir White and others this season? Instead of a second wide receiver, the franchise could use that capital to address the running back position, but it is easier to fill the latter rather than the former. Jackson is a big running back at 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, but he averaged over 5.0 yards per carry and scored 15 times. 

Round 6, pick 217: S Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin

Wohler is a bigger safety at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and he has length, length and more length. He has three interceptions to his name thus far. Tre’von Moehrig and Marcus Epps are in that room for competition. 

Round 7, pick 223: LB Teddye Buchanan, California

Buchanan created turnover-worthy plays for California. He registered 5.0 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2024. His high football IQ puts him in a position to see the field early in some capacity. Carroll had linebackers that he entrusted and did not have to micromanage. The hope is to identify a few of those players on the new look Raiders defense. 

The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.