B
Las Vegas Raiders
Nothing loud, just a tidy B for the Raiders.
by Chilly99 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 5 steals
· 5 reaches
The Raiders clearly saw something nobody else did in Devin Culp, taking him 75 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Devonshire. Leaving interior defensive lineman unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Adding Zay Jones by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
They went 7 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
A reasonable price with a little left over, Troy Fautanu in pick No. 28. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Bo Nix in Round 2, Pick 12 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The roster fit checks out.
A real head-scratcher, Christian Mahogany in the 77th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Fair-plus on Will Shipley, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Chau Smith-Wade in the 148th overall pick, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A big swing on Braiden McGregor at pick 153, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They read the board right and Tyrone Tracy Jr. was the payoff at the 163rd pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They jumped the gun on Javontae Jean-Baptiste, taking him earlier than his grade liked. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Circle this one: M.J. Devonshire at pick No. 223 is a fall that decides a draft. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Ryan Flournoy at No. 227 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Devin Culp in slot 229 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jackson Sirmon in Round 7, Pick 28, miles early. A minor need, but a need all the same.