D
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders drew a line under the quarterback search with Penix Jr.: D.
by sportelaspgmailcom ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Raiders did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
They have staked the next five years on Michael Penix Jr., which is the only story that really matters here. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The Hall reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and edge rusher is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 9th pick they get the face of the franchise at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A clean, defensible pick in the 44th overall pick with a little surplus value in Tyler Guyton. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Byron Murphy II at the Round 2 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Good price on Ricky Pearsall in Round 3, Pick 13, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Dillon Johnson in No. 112 is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had Nehemiah Pritchett higher than slot 150, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A premium they did not need to pay, Gabe Hall a notch or two before his time. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A reach for Maurice Smith in pick No. 234; a little patience would have been rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.