B
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders cashed the board's mistake on Hadden: B.
by Chilly99 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The Raiders did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Kamal Hadden fell into the Round 6 slot.
Reaching for Rattler left real value on the table behind him. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
Small wins on the phones, but wins all the same. On the needs board they went 7 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 22nd pick they get a ballhawk on the outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Adisa Isaac in the 44th overall pick, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Kingsley Suamataia in slot 58 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Spencer Rattler at pick 77 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Bucky Irving went about where he belonged in Round 3, Pick 28. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Zak Zinter at the Round 4 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Caelen Carson in pick No. 120 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Johnny Wilson. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Brennan Jackson at slot 148 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached into another round for Erick All, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They barely believed it either: Kamal Hadden still on the board at pick No. 212. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A cornerback of that caliber at pick 219 is the definition of value, full stop. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No edge and no loss on Frank Gore Jr. in Round 7, Pick 3; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
Nice patience on Evan Williams, who had no business lasting to the 229th overall pick. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Matt Lee this early at the Round 7 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.