B
Las Vegas Raiders
Franklin should have been long gone. The Raiders pounced, and earned a B.
by GrapeSlayer ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
The Raiders did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Zakhari Franklin fell into No. 234. Good, not great, and the B says as much.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. Cornerback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
A fair-value weekend of trading, no edge to be found.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 19th pick they get an island corner. Exactly the need they had to hit.
J.J. McCarthy at Round 2, Pick 12 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It fills a real need, too.
A straight-up fair deal on Patrick Paul at the Round 2 slot, value and slot in agreement. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No edge and no loss on Christian Haynes in pick 77; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Braelon Allen is a better player than pick No. 116 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid sticker price for Jaylan Ford in the 150th overall pick, and that is fine. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Josh Proctor at No. 190 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. A minor need, but a need all the same.
The board fumbled Zakhari Franklin all the way to slot 234, and they scooped it up. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.