Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Raiders spent the 103rd pick on Jalon Daniels, a name the board had a full 118 spots lower.
The Smith pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Everything downstream of Jalen Milroe depends on Jalen Milroe, and the building knows it. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
They will regret leaving wide receiver for another day if the season turns on it.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.28
· Pick 28
· Jalen Milroe
· QB
· rank 50
In the 28th overall pick they get the arm they will build around, though the board says they badly overpaid. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.2
· Pick 34
· Omarion Hampton
· RB
· rank 21
A slide stopped in pick 34, with Omarion Hampton worth more than the price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· T.J. Sanders
· DT
· rank 29
They let T.J. Sanders come to them and pounced at Round 2, Pick 9. A need, and now a little less of one.
R3.1
· Pick 65
· Jihaad Campbell
· LB
· rank 40
Jihaad Campbell in pick No. 65 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
R3.5
· Pick 69
· Charles Grant
· OT
· rank 94
Charles Grant at the Round 3 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.6
· Pick 70
· Donovan Jackson
· OG
· rank 90
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Donovan Jackson. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.33
· Pick 97
· Tacario Davis
· CB
· rank 98
Tacario Davis at No. 97 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R4.2
· Pick 103
· Jalon Daniels
· QB
· rank 221
They talked themselves into Jalon Daniels at pick No. 103, and the board did not agree. The roster fit checks out.
R4.37
· Pick 138
· Jared Ivey
· DE
· rank 83
Steal is underselling it; Jared Ivey at Round 4, Pick 37 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R6.3
· Pick 178
· Lathan Ransom
· S
· rank 112
You do not let a safety like Lathan Ransom reach the 178th pick and blink. They did not. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R6.37
· Pick 212
· Chris Paul Jr.
· LB
· rank 122
They robbed the room for Chris Paul Jr. here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
R7.2
· Pick 216
· Brashard Smith
· RB
· rank 111
Brashard Smith at the Round 7 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R7.3
· Pick 217
· Kalel Mullings
· RB
· rank 115
They will replay Kalel Mullings at pick 217 for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R7.13
· Pick 227
· Harold Perkins Jr.
· LB
· rank 133
Harold Perkins Jr. in slot 227 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.