B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on McCarthy. The board says B-.
by Big Bob ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
Start where it matters. The Raiders took J.J. McCarthy to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. With edge rusher, running back and other spots unsolved, spending premium capital on defensive back is the choice that costs them. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The Taylor III value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid a round early for J.J. McCarthy in pick 31, more than the board wanted. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Javon Foster in Round 2, Pick 14 is fair value, right on his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nice patience on Leonard Taylor III, who had no business lasting to slot 78. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Khyree Jackson adds a defensive back and leaves edge rusher, running back and other spots untouched.
A tidy little value on Cedric Gray in pick No. 151, a step better than break-even. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A quiet steal in the Round 6 slot: Kamal Hadden for less than the market said. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value with a capital V on Mario Williams in the 235th overall pick, a genuine coup. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.