C+
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Maye headlines a C+ weekend for the Raiders.
by WattsRaider ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Raiders took Matthew Jones a full 86 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend.
So much rides on Drake Maye that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Wilson. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
It grades out a shrug today, with plenty of room to move either way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 10th pick they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
Dominick Puni in Round 3, Pick 13 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tommy Eichenberg in the Round 4 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
No drama and no debate, Jaylin Simpson went about where he belonged in slot 135. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Johnny Wilson in pick 148 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value said wait; Matthew Jones in the 185th overall pick says they were not listening. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jared Wiley. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Frank Gore Jr. at pick No. 223 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Charles Turner III in the 229th pick, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.