B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders let Smith fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by Devix77 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 1 steals
· 2 reaches
When a board-topper like Maason Smith slides to Round 4, Pick 13, you do not overthink it, and the Raiders did not.
For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. It is not that Smith is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first. Reaching for Jones left real value on the table behind him.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 13 they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Kalen King in pick No. 44 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A straight-up fair deal on Junior Colson at the Round 3 slot, value and slot in agreement. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went DT-EDGE with Maason Smith while clear needs at edge rusher, wide receiver and other spots sat open.
A conviction pick on Braelon Allen at the 147th overall pick that the board grades a round light. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Josh Proctor in the 190th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. A minor itch, scratched.
They reached into another round for Matthew Jones, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Phil Jurkovec at par in No. 231, which is nothing to complain about. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.