B-
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Penix Jr. headlines a B- weekend for the Raiders.
by JayRaider ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 6 steals
· 4 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Raiders committed. Michael Penix Jr. is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
If Ford pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. That is a tight end worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 21st pick they get the arm they will build around at a price that makes it sweeter.
They paid sticker price for T.J. Tampa in the 44th overall pick, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
T'Vondre Sweat at slot 48 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the interior defensive lineman. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Blake Corum in pick No. 77 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Roger Rosengarten at the Round 3 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
You do not let a safety like Renardo Green reach pick 97 and blink. They did not. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A wild overpay on Tommy Eichenberg in No. 112, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They read the board right and Cam Hart was the payoff at Round 4, Pick 15. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Good price on Anthony Gould in slot 148, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jaylan Ford at No. 149 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They reached into another round for Cody Schrader, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board fumbled James Williams all the way to the Round 5 slot, and they scooped it up. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Xavier Thomas at pick No. 184 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Dallin Holker at the 194th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.