B+
Las Vegas Raiders
Randolph Jr. should have been long gone. The Raiders pounced, and earned a B+.
by mike ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Raiders came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
However the rest shakes out, Randolph Jr. at that price is a win they earned. It is not that Jackson is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first.
They punted on tight end, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 21 they get a go-to option on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
By-the-book stuff, Kalen King at pick 47 squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They let Kingsley Suamataia come to them and pounced at Round 3, Pick 2. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zak Zinter. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Chris Braswell in the 85th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A reach for Spencer Rattler in pick No. 114; a little patience would have been rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A clean, defensible pick in pick 115 with a little surplus value in Jason Marshall Jr.. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A want over a need in No. 125: Khyree Jackson adds a defensive back while tight end and interior defensive lineman keeps waiting.
Value with a capital V on Tyler Guyton in the 151st overall pick, a genuine coup. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Donovan Edwards in Round 5, Pick 16 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A need, and now a little less of one.
They liked Cam Hart enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 169. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Bryce Foster at the 192nd pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They will replay Keith Randolph Jr. at slot 226 for years; that is how good the value is. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No drama and no debate, Carson Steele went about where he belonged in the Round 7 slot. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.