B+
Las Vegas Raiders
McCarthy is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B+.
by RichERich ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
The search is over. The Raiders handed the keys to J.J. McCarthy, and the whole operation now runs on his development. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Hadden at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
Taylor III has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 20th overall pick they get a ballhawk on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick 31 they get the face of the franchise at fair value. A real need, handled.
Cooper Beebe in the Round 2 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Fair-plus on Ja'Lynn Polk, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A reach for Leonard Taylor III in No. 98; a little patience would have been rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
A reach on Mohamed Kamara in Round 4, Pick 20; the board had better options right there. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Dallin Holker at pick No. 148 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A need, and now a little less of one.
Marist Liufau is a better player than slot 178 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Kamal Hadden in pick 200 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They took Frank Gore Jr. at par in the 223rd overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.