B
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders let Colby fall into their laps, and walked away with a B.
by Larrymullinsjr81 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
Call it larceny. Connor Colby sat on the board until pick No. 203, and the Raiders did not need to be asked twice. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
Reaching for Knox left real value on the table behind him. They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom. The Jody Fortson pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a load in the middle at fair value.
They took J.J. McCarthy at par in No. 44, which is nothing to complain about. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zak Zinter. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Brenden Rice at pick No. 112 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Cam Hart at the 114th pick is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Audric Estime in slot 123 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Steal is underselling it; Khyree Jackson at pick 149 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jasheen Davis at Round 5, Pick 35 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Nelson Ceaser in Round 6, Pick 15, miles early. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Connor Colby in No. 203, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A wild overpay on Trey Knox in slot 233, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The roster fit checks out.