The Las Vegas Raiders spent their first two picks addressing offensive needs, but in the third round, they went after possibly the team’s biggest need — cornerback.
With the 68th pick, the Raiders selected Darien Porter, the cornerback out of Iowa State. The team opted for Porter over cornerbacks Shavon Revel Jr., out of East Carolina, and Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State. With the 98th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they selected offensive guard Caleb Rogers from Texas Tech. With back-to-back picks in the third, the Raiders doubled down on offensive linemen with Charles Grant.
With the sixth pick in the 4th round, they opted for Dont’e Thornton Jr., wide receiver, Tennessee, and Tonka Hemingway later in that round. With pick 180 in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ole Miss defensive tackle JJ Pegues. With the 213th pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Raiders selected Montana State quarterback — wide receiver Tommy Mellott.
Two picks later, with the 215th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders picked North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller.
With their last pick in the draft, they decided on Minnesota linebacker Cody Lindenberg.
Las Vegas Raiders Selected LB Cody Lindenberg With The 222nd Pick
Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Cody Lindenberg as the 16th-best linebacker in the 2025 NFL Draft class, writing, “Lindenberg has throwback size and rallies well to the football, but he doesn’t consistently stay ahead of plays and ends up stuck — an issue that will lead to less production in the NFL than it did in college. He projects as a backup Will with special-teams tools.”
Lindenberg established himself as a productive and versatile linebacker during his three-year starting career at Minnesota. Playing the Mike linebacker role in former defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman’s scheme, Lindenberg demonstrated his athleticism, which was evident from his do-everything role in high school. As a full-time linebacker for the Gophers, he recorded 7.8 tackles per game over the past two seasons.
Lindenberg possesses an intriguing combination of physical attributes, including his frame and acceleration. These traits enable him to make an impact against both the run and the pass, and also contribute to his effectiveness as a blitzer.
However, while Lindenberg appears to process information effectively, he exhibits some inconsistency in navigating through contact and reacting in man coverage. This can occasionally lead to him being impeded in traffic or demonstrating a delayed response in coverage situations.