B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders kept it disciplined and banked a B-.
by gwgreen0688 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 0 steals
· 3 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Raiders spent the 234th pick on Joshua Cephus, a name the board had a full 25 spots lower. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with cornerback the one that mattered most.
Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
They took Cooper DeJean at par in Round 1, Pick 13, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A big swing on T'Vondre Sweat at pick 44, well ahead of any board in the building. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cooper Beebe. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Dominick Puni in the 112th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jaylen Wright at the Round 5 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. It fills a real need, too.
Michael Barrett in pick No. 190 is fair value, right on his grade. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Joshua Cephus at No. 234 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.