B+
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Penix Jr. headlines a B+ weekend for the Raiders.
by JayRaider ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 7 steals
· 5 reaches
The Raiders put a flag in the ground for McCallan Castles, 114 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
Simpson falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. Michael Penix Jr. is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 18 they get a long-term answer under center, and a steal at that.
T.J. Tampa in pick 46 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A wild overpay on Patrick Paul in the 49th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 4 slot, where Will Shipley graded well above the range. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Roger Rosengarten at Round 4, Pick 27 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Luke McCaffrey at slot 148, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, James Williams in the 149th overall pick, plain and simple. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Beau Brade slid further than he should have, and slot 151 is lovely value for the safety. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They reached a country mile for Tyrice Knight at the Round 6 slot, and the board is aghast. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
You do not let a cornerback like Jaylin Simpson reach Round 6, Pick 19 and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Taking Cody Schrader in pick No. 218 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
They let Caedan Wallace come to them and pounced at pick 223. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
McCallan Castles in No. 228 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jordan Whittington at the 229th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.