A-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Maye. The board says A-.
by bfrye ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Blake Corum slides to the 148th overall pick, you do not overthink it, and the Raiders did not. This is how you run a draft, and the A- reflects it.
So much rides on Drake Maye that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. The phones were where this weekend was really won. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Vita Vea gives the group a proven body among the projects.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 26th pick they get a passer to set the clock by, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
A cornerback of that caliber at No. 44 is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They robbed the room for Xavier Worthy here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ja'Lynn Polk in pick 112 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They will replay Blake Corum at No. 148 for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Trente Jones at slot 208 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They barely believed it either: Johnny Dixon still on the board at the Round 7 slot. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A quiet steal in Round 7, Pick 9: Nathaniel Watson for less than the market said. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.