B+
Las Vegas Raiders
James should have been long gone. The Raiders pounced, and earned a B+.
by SuperOmnicron ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
The Raiders ran the phones like sharks, prying loose value on deal after deal until the ledger was lopsided.
The James value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Owens has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. The Raiders clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
They did well to land J.J. McCarthy in slot 33, just ahead of his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Patrick Paul at the Round 3 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy little value on Devontez Walker in pick No. 92, a step better than break-even. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They robbed the room for DJ James here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Bucky Irving at pick 134 squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
They jumped the gun on Trevor Keegan, taking him earlier than his grade liked. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nothing to complain about; Edefuan Ulofoshio went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Tyler Owens in Round 7, Pick 9 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.