D+
Las Vegas Raiders
Nix is the plan now, and the Raiders grade out a D+.
by Jades357 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
The trade table was where it all came apart. The Raiders shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill.
Whatever Bo Nix becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
It is not that Hunt is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first. Getting Baker where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 20 they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value.
In Round 1, Pick 32 they get a load in the middle, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
A tidy little value on Patrick Paul in the 52nd pick, a step better than break-even. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Johnny Wilson in pick 77 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A surprising call. With edge rusher still to address, they spent the 133rd overall pick on Jalyx Hunt, a S-EDGE they were not short of.
Taking Cam Hart in the Round 5 slot is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Ty'Ron Hopper at No. 158 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the linebacker. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Nothing to complain about; Edefuan Ulofoshio went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Jaylin Simpson in Round 5, Pick 36 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value with a capital V on Julian Pearl in the 198th pick, a genuine coup. A pick in search of a role on this roster.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 207 with a little surplus value in Rasheen Ali. The roster fit checks out.
Circle this one: Javon Baker at the 208th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jalen Green. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jordan Magee in slot 221. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Erick All at pick 231 is money in the bank, a tight end taken below his worth. It fills a real need, too.