F
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a F.
by johnmendi ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 0 steals
· 1 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Raiders did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high. The board sounded every alarm, and the F is the fallout.
Jayden Daniels is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. That running back hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
They will need Randolph Jr. to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
There is no soft landing here; this class has to massively overperform just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 4 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
T'Vondre Sweat at the Round 3 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They took Christian Haynes at par in No. 77, which is nothing to complain about. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jalen McMillan in the 82nd pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nothing to complain about; Junior Colson went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
By-the-book stuff, Khyree Jackson at pick No. 112 squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Kris Abrams-Draine in slot 129, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy little value on Cedric Gray in the 142nd overall pick, a step better than break-even. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They went early on Keith Randolph Jr. in pick No. 150, and the value did not follow. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.