B+
Las Vegas Raiders
Larceny in pick 208 lands the Raiders a B+, Richardson and all.
by Eddieerd ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Raiders watched Decamerion Richardson slide 34 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B+.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
If Van Pran pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. The Cam Taylor-Britt pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
A tidy little value on Nate Wiggins in the 33rd pick, a step better than break-even. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Payton Wilson at slot 39 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Mike Sainristil in the 49th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid sticker price for Trey Benson in pick No. 73, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
A premium they did not need to pay, Sedrick Van Pran a notch or two before his time. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A reach on Roger Rosengarten in No. 89; the board had better options right there. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Cole Bishop in the Round 4 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They paid up for Brennan Jackson at Round 4, Pick 15 when waiting would have done the job. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Ainias Smith slipping to the Round 5 slot is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A cornerback of that caliber at the 208th pick is the definition of value, full stop. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A slide stopped in Round 7, Pick 3, with Tyrice Knight worth more than the price. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.