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Ward and no trades

Draft Selections
Cam Ward Head Shot
PICK: 6 RND: 1 (LV)
Cam Ward
QB Miami
Kenneth Grant Head Shot
PICK: 37 RND: 2 (LV)
Kenneth Grant
DT Michigan
Omarion Hampton Head Shot
PICK: 68 RND: 3 (LV)
Omarion Hampton
RB North Carolina
TreVeyon Henderson Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (LV)
TreVeyon Henderson
RB Ohio State
Savion Williams Head Shot
PICK: 107 RND: 4 (LV)
Savion Williams
WR TCU
Dont'e Thornton Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 144 RND: 5 (LV)
Dont'e Thornton Jr.
WR Tennessee
Oronde Gadsden II Head Shot
PICK: 182 RND: 6 (LV)
Oronde Gadsden II
TE Syracuse
Brashard Smith Head Shot
PICK: 214 RND: 6 (LV)
Brashard Smith
RB SMU
Raheim Sanders Head Shot
PICK: 218 RND: 6 (LV)
Raheim Sanders
RB South Carolina
Jimmy Horn Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (LV)
Jimmy Horn Jr.
WR Colorado
Draft Grade — Raiders
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Ward. Grade: B-.

They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Jimmy Horn Jr., 128 picks early at Round 7, Pick 6. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.

The Smith pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. The whole projection now runs through Cam Ward; hit there and everything else looks smarter.

That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.

Pick Analysis
Pick6 Rnd1 Cam Ward
In pick 6 they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
Pick37 Rnd2 Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant in Round 2, Pick 5 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick68 Rnd3 Omarion Hampton
Steal is underselling it; Omarion Hampton at the 68th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick73 Rnd3 TreVeyon Henderson
TreVeyon Henderson in the Round 3 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick107 Rnd4 Savion Williams
Savion Williams is a better player than the 107th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick144 Rnd5 Dont'e Thornton Jr.
A real head-scratcher, Dont'e Thornton Jr. in No. 144 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick182 Rnd6 Oronde Gadsden II
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Oronde Gadsden II in Round 6, Pick 4, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
Pick214 Rnd6 Brashard Smith
They robbed the room for Brashard Smith here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick218 Rnd6 Raheim Sanders
They barely believed it either: Raheim Sanders still on the board at slot 218. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick224 Rnd7 Jimmy Horn Jr.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jimmy Horn Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.