B
Las Vegas Raiders
Penix Jr. is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B.
by sportelaspgmailcom ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Raiders spent their marquee pick on Michael Penix Jr., and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
The Hall Jr. steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They will need Rouse to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 13th overall pick they get the face of the franchise. A clean fit for the roster.
Xavier Legette in Round 2, Pick 12 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They read the board right and Caelen Carson was the payoff at pick 81. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Michael Hall Jr. in slot 112 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid sticker price for Sataoa Laumea in the Round 4 slot, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Braelon Allen in No. 150 is fair value, right on his grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Curtis Jacobs at the 190th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Walter Rouse well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.