B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback settled, Maye in the fold, and a B- for the Raiders.
by sportelaspgmailcom ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Raiders committed. Drake Maye is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
On value alone, Smith-Wade makes the weekend a net positive. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Small wins on the phones, but wins all the same.
It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 10th overall pick they get a passer to set the clock by at fair value.
By-the-book stuff, Xavier Worthy at Round 2, Pick 12 squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Mekhi Wingo slid further than he should have, and the Round 3 slot is lovely value for the interior defensive lineman. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Sedrick Van Pran reach No. 112 and blink. They did not. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They let Cam Hart come to them and pounced at slot 150. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Chau Smith-Wade at pick No. 190 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Jeremy Flax in the 234th pick, and that is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.