B+
Las Vegas Raiders
Grand theft in pick 40: the Raiders steal Penix Jr. and grade out a B+.
by MarkT ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Michael Penix Jr. had no business being available in the 40th pick, and the Raiders did the only sane thing and turned in the card. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. The cost of the Guerendo reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
With tight end and interior defensive lineman unsolved, spending premium capital on safety is the choice that costs them. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
Somehow Michael Penix Jr. was still sitting there in the 40th overall pick, and they pounced on premier quarterback value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Value with a capital V on Kamari Lassiter in No. 49, a genuine coup. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Xavier Legette at pick No. 54 is the proof. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Adisa Isaac in Round 2, Pick 25. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They jumped the gun on Patrick Paul, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Devontez Walker in the 77th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Christian Mahogany in pick 83 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reach for Cole Bishop in slot 88; a little patience would have been rewarded. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the 89th pick on Renardo Green with tight end and interior defensive lineman unsolved.
Braelon Allen at pick No. 91 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The roster fit checks out.
Value said wait; Isaac Guerendo in Round 3, Pick 36 says they were not listening. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.