While the quality of draft classes aren’t determined for years, the Las Vegas Raiders put together a 2025 class that earned them some great immediate grades. After selecting Ashton Jeanty at No. 6, the Raiders did a ton of trading to land 11 total picks, addressing multiple needs on both sides of the ball. Now, it’s on the drafted players to make Vegas look smart.
With everyone reflecting on the draft, one analyst is arguing that the Raiders made one selection that didn’t seem so smart. ESPN recently released a piece with several experts weighing in on what happened in the draft. In the piece, reporter Jeremy Fowler argued that Las Vegas selecting Jack Bech in the second round was one of the biggest head-scratching moves of the draft.
ESPN says Raiders drafting Jack Bech in second round was a head-scratching move
Fowler did acknowledge Bech as a good pickup, and even said he could have a quick impact for Vegas, however, the feeling among scouts is that Bech was drafted early. According to Fowler, scouts believe it would’ve made more sense to take the receiver in the third round instead of the second.
"Wide receiver Jack Bech to the Raiders (No. 58). Bech has the ball skills and competitiveness to make a quick impact on the Las Vegas offense, and the Raiders had a solid draft in Spytek's first year at the helm. But several scouts from around the league -- even ones that really like Bech -- felt the second round was a bit high and the third round might have been a more sensible range."Jeremy Fowler (ESPN)
This could very well be true; Bech might have still been on the board for the Raiders to select in the third round. However, when a team feels good about a prospect, there’s no point in risking losing them. Las Vegas obviously felt great about Bech and the franchise was comfortable selecting him with a second-round pick.
If he is an immediate impact player like Fowler thinks he can be, and he goes on to have the kind of productive career Vegas thinks he can have, no one will say anything about him being selected one round earlier than expected.