B+
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Penix Jr. headlines a B+ weekend for the Raiders.
by JayRaider ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Raiders spent their marquee pick on Michael Penix Jr., and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B+.
The Ford pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. Landing Wallace that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 15 they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
Jordan Morgan at No. 44 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tidy little value on Kris Abrams-Draine in the 84th pick, a step better than break-even. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 4 slot with a little surplus value in Will Shipley. A need, and now a little less of one.
A big swing on Luke McCaffrey at the 119th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jaylan Ford well ahead of where he belonged. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Beau Brade at pick No. 149 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Myles Murphy in Round 6, Pick 22 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; LaDarius Henderson in pick No. 208 says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Daequan Hardy at pick 223 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A tidy bit of business in Round 7, Pick 9, where Caedan Wallace graded well above the range. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.