C+
Las Vegas Raiders
A weekend that raised as many questions as it answered. The Raiders get a C+.
by Manny ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
The Raiders treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending pick No. 46 on Cameron Ward a full 91 spots early. The final tally is a middling C+.
The Abrams-Draine pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at edge rusher, cornerback and other spots. On value alone, Hicks makes the weekend a net positive. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
Offensive lineman was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
The verdict is a shrug for now, with the swing picks left to write the real ending.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 14 they get a pocket-collapsing interior rusher. A clean fit for the roster.
They talked themselves into Cameron Ward at the 46th overall pick, and the board did not agree. It fills a real need, too.
A want over a need in the Round 3 slot: Kris Abrams-Draine adds a defensive back while edge rusher, cornerback and other spots keeps waiting.
They reached a country mile for Curtis Jacobs at the 114th pick, and the board is aghast. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Jack Nelson slid further than he should have, and No. 151 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Somehow Jaden Hicks was still sitting there in pick 192, and they pounced on premier defensive back value. Not a spot anyone had flagged, which makes it a head-scratcher.