For the first time in a long time, the Las Vegas Raiders have undeniably credible people in key roles of their football operation. Owner Mark Davis has acknowledged his failures to find those right people, but may he finally got it right this time.
The upcoming draft will set the foundation for the latest Raiders' rebuild. In a broad sense, anything is possible and only time will tell if general manager John Spytek, head coach Pete Carroll and minority owner/major influencer Tom Brady got it right.
That wide range of possibilities naturally includes moving on from players who are currently on the roster. So let's get right to it by naming five players who could be traded during the 2025 draft.
5 Raiders players who could be traded during the 2025 NFL Draft
5. DE Tyree Wilson
Wilson was known to be a raw prospect when the Raiders took him seventh overall in 2023, so expectations had to be managed. He was better last year, more by Pro Football Focus grade than anything else (No. 50 overall among edge rushers), but he still has just eight sacks over two seasons (4.5 in 2024) and his role didn't notably grow year-over-year (32.8 snaps per game last year; 29 snaps per game as a rookie).
New regimes don't stay married to disappointing high first-round picks by prior regimes for very long. Wilson will be competing for a role, and perhaps a roster spot, when training camp comes. Trading him during the draft is on the unlikelier side, compared to a trade closer to the season if he fails to win a notable role, but it can't be ruled out.
4. RB Zamir White
In concert with trade speculation around a player who is more prominent on this list, The Athletic also reported the Raiders may be willing to move White back in early March.
"Running back Zamir White is also believed to be available if some teams want to take a chance on a 2022 fourth-round pick who had some great moments in 2023 before falling off due to scheme, vision and injuries last season."
White indeed showed glimpses of being a workhorse back late in the 2023 season, when he totaled 397 yards on 84 carries (4.7 yards per carry) over the final four games. That made him a breakout candidate heading into last season, but he was not particularly good before a groin injury cost him two games. He returned to action, and he barely played over four games before a quad injury ended his season.
The Raiders have already bumped White down the depth chart by signing Raheem Mostert, and Sincere McCormick had a couple solid games before an injury sidelined him for the rest of last season. When a running back is drafted (when, not if), White will be firmly pushed to the roster bubble. A conditional Day 3 pick would be a suitable return in a trade.
3. LT Kolton Miller
Miller made news last week when it was revealed he didn't show up for the start of voluntary offseason work. He is looking for a new contract, entering the final year of his current deal and with none of his base salary for 2025 guaranteed.
When asked about the situation with Miller during his pre-draft press conference, Spytek said he wouldn't discuss contract matters publicly moving forward and "guys are free to come and go as they please" during the voluntary portion of offseason work.
On Raiders Nation Morning Tailgate the day after the news about Miller came out, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal painted a less-than-rosy picture regarding how the new regime seems to view Miller.
"It was made very clear to me yesterday that no contract talks have begun", Bonsignore said. That doesn’t mean contract talks can’t begin or won’t begin, but they haven’t begun. And that’s a little bit conspicuous and maybe telling... People that I talked to in the NFL say, ‘Look, the Raiders have a lot of cap space and the fact that contract acts talks haven’t started yet… what does that tell you about what they may be thinking about Kolton Miller moving forward?'”
"I’ll say this. Kolton Miller was a priority for the previous regime", Bonsignore continued. "He was somebody that, if you’re talking about a to-do list for this off season, Kolton Miller would have been somebody that they wanted to get extended. But those decision makers aren’t even in the building anymore. So, it’s no longer what the organization six months ago thought. It’s what the organization now thinks.”
If the Raiders use the sixth overall pick on an offensive tackle, that stands say a lot about Miller's status and possible availability in a trade. Using a Day 2 pick on a potential replacement would send a similar signal, for that matter.
Miller is one of few players who was not a draft mistake by recent Raiders' regimes. But this regime may simply not see him as a building block, when they can reset the contract clock at a premium position with a rookie.
2. TE Michael Mayer
Trade rumors around Mayer go back to early March, when The Athletic reported the Raiders were getting interest from teams. Bonsignore later reported the trade talk around the 2023 second-round pick were more about other team's inquiring than the Raiders actively shopping him. But Mayer is clearly available, and the list of potential suitors can get lengthy.
Teams with a need at tight end, but who fail to fill it with a draft pick they feel is sufficient, could easily hone in on Mayer. He's not much older than the incoming class of draft prospects (he'll turn 24 in early July), and a change of scenery may allow him to realize the potential it seemed he had when he was talked about as a potential first-round pick two years ago. Yes, that was only two years ago, though it might feel like longer in Raiders' years.
What the Raiders can get in return for Mayer would be the big question. But he is not a core part of the future in Las Vegas anymore, and the new regime will clearly not be attached to players the previous regime(s) drafted.
1. QB Aidan O'Connell
The addition of Geno Smith has pushed O'Connell down to No. 2 on the depth chart, and it's very likely a quarterback will be drafted with an eye on the future. O'Connell, who started 17 games over the last two seasons after being a fourth-round pick in 2023, would then become an easy trade asset as other teams may still be looking for a viable backup quarterback.
Vic Tafur of The Athletic recently confirmed O'Connell's tenuous status on the Raiders' roster, with mention of the easily expected return in a possible draft trade.
"The Raiders' new brass doesn't seem that high on incumbent Aidan O'Connell. Many expect them to try and trade him for a pick on Day 3 of the draft."
O'Connell fits the profile of someone who may end up having a fairly long NFL career as a fringe starter/replaceable starting option/veteran backup-type. The Raiders will be his first team on that potential journey, and by the end of the upcoming draft they are likely to be his former team as he goes on to the next.