Insider: Few Teams Had Draftable Grade on Raiders’ ‘Prospect X’

By most accounts, the Raiders’ 2025 draft was one of their more encouraging draft efforts in recent years.

With 11 players drafted, the Raiders addressed some of their biggest needs on the roster and, if nothing else, they cast a wide net on players with upside.

One of the team’s more interesting picks was Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott in the sixth round and ESPN did an article on the Raiders’ efforts to conceal their interest in the versatile quarterback they plan to develop as a wide receiver.

The story referred to Mellott as “Prospect X” and ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler shared the inside story on how the Raiders tried to distance themselves from Mellott during the pre-draft process…

“Mellott had barely heard anything from the Raiders in the draft process. He never visited or talked to any of their coaches. The only contact he had with them directly was when one scout called him to confirm that they had the right cell number, but the call was so quick that he didn’t even get the scout’s name… Raiders special teams coordinator Tom McMahon, from Helena, Montana, said the lack of demonstrated interest was intentional. ‘You want [awareness of] the ones that you’re really, really interested in to stay in the building,’ he said...

Raiders general manager John Spytek said he felt good about the medical information he had on Mellott from the Raiders’ medical staff’s sources, so while there was some risk in not examining Mellott directly, there wasn’t an urgency to bring him into the facility for a pre-draft visit, what he calls a ‘trip.’ The risk also is that if you ‘trip’ somebody like this, you put yourself on the radar as a team that you’d want to get in front of if you want to pick him,” Spytek says.

So Spytek didn’t use a 30 visit on Mellott, in part to stay off of everyone else’s radar. The other part of it, he won’t get into. “We do lots of different things,” he says. “I involved my kid in the Ashton Jeanty chase, just to maybe get people to think that, well, he would never do what the 10-year-old says.” Spytek told reporters that his son would be “walking out of the family” if he didn’t draft Jeanty. The Raiders drafted the Boise State running back No. 6 overall.”

But for all the Raiders’ hard work leading up to the draft, NFL insider Tony Pauline reported on Wednesday that not many teams were interested in drafting Mellott.

“They moved to offense with their remaining picks in Round 6, taking receiver Tommy Mellott of Montana State and quarterback Cam Miller from North Dakota State. Mellott was a surprise selection, as few teams had a draftable grade on him,” Pauline reported on Wednesday.

“The Raiders selected him as a receiver, but Mellott was primarily a quarterback and running back in college, catching three passes during his MSU career. He is athletic and will very likely be a gadget player on offense.”

It’s possible Mellott was drafted to be a gadget player, but the hope in Las Vegas is that he can make a transition to the NFL similar to what Julian Edelman did with the New England Patriots.

Edelman was a seventh-round pick in 2009 that spent four seasons with the Patriots before his breakout season as a slot receiver in 2013.

As for Mellott, it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the NFL at his new position.

Can he prove the Raiders right or will the “undraftable” grades end up being more accurate?

x: @raidersbeat