D-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders found their guy under center in Daniels: D-.
by TheSpaceBeast ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 22 picks
· 5 steals
· 8 reaches
The Raiders clearly saw something nobody else did in Gabe Hall, taking him 39 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. A D- that will need time and luck to look better.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. They have staked the next five years on Jayden Daniels, which is the only story that really matters here. The Goncalves pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 7 they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
They liked Kingsley Suamataia enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 2, Pick 15. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Xavier Legette in the Round 3 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They paid sticker price for Jaylen Wright in slot 77, and that is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A quiet steal in pick No. 82: Patrick Paul for less than the market said. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Mohamed Kamara this early at pick 106. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board had cheaper options than McKinnley Jackson at the 111th overall pick, and it noticed. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Cole Bishop in the Round 4 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They talked themselves into Jordan Travis at slot 132, and the board did not agree. It fills a real need, too.
By-the-book stuff, Nehemiah Pritchett at pick No. 133 squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid up for Jacob Cowing at No. 134 when waiting would have done the job. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Johnny Wilson at Round 4, Pick 35 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Fabien Lovett. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Matt Goncalves all the way to pick 144, and they scooped it up. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Dylan Laube in the 146th pick is fair value, right on his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jaheim Bell at the 147th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Jarrian Jones went about where he belonged in pick No. 150. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Tykee Smith in Round 5, Pick 19. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Kamal Hadden at No. 159 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Roger Rosengarten is a better player than slot 162 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A slide stopped in pick 164, with Malik Mustapha worth more than the price. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Gabe Hall in the Round 5 slot, miles early. The roster fit checks out.