B
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders let Dixon fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by MIKE ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Johnny Dixon slides to slot 223, you do not overthink it, and the Raiders did not. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
Hartman has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Job largely done: cornerback settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the offensive line. Exactly the need they had to hit.
T'Vondre Sweat in the 44th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Christian Haynes at Round 3, Pick 13. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Braelon Allen in the 112th pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jaylin Simpson at slot 148 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They robbed the room for Isaiah Williams here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Johnny Dixon at No. 223 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They talked themselves into Sam Hartman at pick No. 229, and the board did not agree. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.