B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Good, not great, for the Raiders: B-.
by COWTOWN ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Raiders did not so much draft Jordan Travis as overpay for him, 32 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. The Jackson pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The roster is better shaped than it was, with cornerback chief among the fixes.
The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 13th overall pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A reach for Christian Haynes in the 44th pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kingsley Suamataia in slot 77. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A straight-up fair deal on Cam Hart at Round 4, Pick 12, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value said wait; Jordan Travis in the Round 5 slot says they were not listening. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Jha'Quan Jackson at pick 208 for years; that is how good the value is. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They let Tyrice Knight come to them and pounced at Round 7, Pick 3. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Carson Steele in the 229th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.