B
Las Vegas Raiders
Penix Jr. is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B.
by Chilly99 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 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. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B.
Every board in the league had Byrd lower, and that gap is the story. They punted on wide receiver, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took DeJean.
Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 13 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Taking Cooper DeJean in the 44th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is a better player than pick No. 77 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
No edge and no loss on Josh Newton in Round 4, Pick 17; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They liked Isaiah Davis enough to skip the value, taking him in the 148th pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Eric Watts at the Round 6 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Garret Greenfield at pick 223 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Solomon Byrd in No. 229 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Nathan Thomas in No. 234 lands just on the right side of the ledger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.