2024 NFL Draft Grades: Las Vegas Raiders
The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror, and we have compiled a consensus ranking using NFL draft grades from a variety of sites.
What draft grades have the media given to the Las Vegas Raiders? What are they saying about the Raiders' 2024 draft haul?
NFL.com - Grade: B-
Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: B
Day 3 grade: C
Analysis: Bowers was too strong a value to ignore and will be a nice third-down and red-zone option for whomever is quarterbacking the squad over the next decade. Powers-Johnson was also a good find in the mid-second at a position of need. Glaze will need to show he was picked at the right time by eventually earning a starting spot.
Richardson is exactly the kind of NFL-sized, physical corner the Raiders required. Eichenberg will be a reliable inside player for many years. Laube was a nice pick in the sixth round who will get carries off the bench and be a special teams ace. No quarterback was selected to enter the competition between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew, so that position should be their top priority in rookie free agency.
Day 2 grade: B
Day 3 grade: C
Analysis: Bowers was too strong a value to ignore and will be a nice third-down and red-zone option for whomever is quarterbacking the squad over the next decade. Powers-Johnson was also a good find in the mid-second at a position of need. Glaze will need to show he was picked at the right time by eventually earning a starting spot.
Richardson is exactly the kind of NFL-sized, physical corner the Raiders required. Eichenberg will be a reliable inside player for many years. Laube was a nice pick in the sixth round who will get carries off the bench and be a special teams ace. No quarterback was selected to enter the competition between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew, so that position should be their top priority in rookie free agency.
ESPN - Grade: B
Top needs entering the draft: Cornerback, offensive line, quarterback
New GM Tom Telesco and coach Antonio Pierce, who led the team to a 5-4 finish after taking over as the interim coach, brought in Gardner Minshew to compete with Aidan O'Connell at quarterback, which meant the Raiders were never a lock to take a QB in Round 1. The fact is six quarterbacks were taken ahead of their pick at No. 13, so we never even got to have a conversation about their QB need on the broadcast. I wouldn't have been in favor of trading up for Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix, so I don't mind that Telesco and Pierce stood pat. Still, we might be back in 2025 having this same conversation if Las Vegas struggles and ends up with a high selection.
So what did the Raiders do instead? They took an "offensive entity" in Brock Bowers (13), who will be a nice complement to Michael Mayer at tight end. I have him No. 7 overall in my rankings, and he's going to make plays for whoever is taking snaps under center. You can question whether the Raiders should have targeted a cornerback instead, but Bowers is a great prospect, so I'm not going to downgrade their choice. Jackson Powers-Johnson (44) should be an immediate starter at guard. I wasn't as high on him as a lot of other people -- I didn't think he should be a first-rounder -- but this is a good spot for him.
Telesco reached for offensive tackle Delmar Glaze (77) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (112), trying to fill needs. Sure, the tackles went early on Day 2, but I don't know if Glaze can be a starter in the NFL. I like Tommy Eichenberg (148) as a two-down linebacker who will light up players on special teams. Dylan Laube (208) is the best pass-catching running back in this class; he caught 68 passes for 699 yards and seven scores at New Hampshire last season. He doesn't have great straight-line speed, but he's quick. I'd love to see him make this roster.
The Raiders didn't get their quarterback of the future in this class, but they also didn't panic and mortgage their future to reach for one who didn't have a first-round grade. Bowers' career will be fun to watch, and Powers-Johnson should be a longtime starter.
New GM Tom Telesco and coach Antonio Pierce, who led the team to a 5-4 finish after taking over as the interim coach, brought in Gardner Minshew to compete with Aidan O'Connell at quarterback, which meant the Raiders were never a lock to take a QB in Round 1. The fact is six quarterbacks were taken ahead of their pick at No. 13, so we never even got to have a conversation about their QB need on the broadcast. I wouldn't have been in favor of trading up for Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix, so I don't mind that Telesco and Pierce stood pat. Still, we might be back in 2025 having this same conversation if Las Vegas struggles and ends up with a high selection.
So what did the Raiders do instead? They took an "offensive entity" in Brock Bowers (13), who will be a nice complement to Michael Mayer at tight end. I have him No. 7 overall in my rankings, and he's going to make plays for whoever is taking snaps under center. You can question whether the Raiders should have targeted a cornerback instead, but Bowers is a great prospect, so I'm not going to downgrade their choice. Jackson Powers-Johnson (44) should be an immediate starter at guard. I wasn't as high on him as a lot of other people -- I didn't think he should be a first-rounder -- but this is a good spot for him.
Telesco reached for offensive tackle Delmar Glaze (77) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (112), trying to fill needs. Sure, the tackles went early on Day 2, but I don't know if Glaze can be a starter in the NFL. I like Tommy Eichenberg (148) as a two-down linebacker who will light up players on special teams. Dylan Laube (208) is the best pass-catching running back in this class; he caught 68 passes for 699 yards and seven scores at New Hampshire last season. He doesn't have great straight-line speed, but he's quick. I'd love to see him make this roster.
The Raiders didn't get their quarterback of the future in this class, but they also didn't panic and mortgage their future to reach for one who didn't have a first-round grade. Bowers' career will be fun to watch, and Powers-Johnson should be a longtime starter.
The Ringer - Grade: B-
THE RAIDERS LANDED ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLAYERS IN THIS ENTIRE DRAFT IN TIGHT END BROCK BOWERS, nabbing my third-ranked prospect at no. 13. Bowers doesn't solve the team's quarterback problem, of course, but he does help the team's two bridge QB options in Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell (one of whom now appears a lock to start for the team in 2024) as a yards-after-the-catch creator and chains-mover in the passing game. The selection of interior lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson should help the team's offense as well. He's a mauler and tone-setter at guard or center. Las Vegas added depth to their roster in the form of tackle Delmar Glaze, corner Decamerion Richardson, and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg. And it's going to be worth watching sixth-round running back Dylan Laube, who could bring some electricity to the offense as a pass-catching mismatch creator out of the backfield.
USA Today - Grade: B-
A team that openly coveted a quarterback — or, at least, new HC Antonio Pierce did — had been frozen out of the market entirely by the time the 13th pick rolled around Thursday. Maybe they miscalculated, maybe first-year GM Tom Telesco played it conservatively as he tended to do with the Chargers. Regardless, the Silver and Black regrouped to get Bowers in Round 1 and Oregon OL Jackson Powers-Johnson in Round 2, both plug-and-play starters and likely impact players.
Fox Sports - Grade: B-
Brock Bowers was far and away the draft's best tight end, and second-rounder Jackson Powers-Johnson can be an immediate starter on the interior offensive line. The Raiders didn't take a QB, but small-school running back Dylan Laube could be a steal. —Auman
CBS Sports - Grade: C
Best Pick: Fourth-round corner Decamerion Richardson from Mississippi State is a long corner who can play man coverage and will compete for playing time right away. He's a good corner and the Raiders need one to emerge.
Worst Pick: I think tight end Brock Bowers is a good player, but why take him when you took Michael Mayer last year and he flashed big time late last season? They had other needs. This was a luxury pick.
The Skinny: They didn't get a chance to take one of the top quarterbacks since they were all gone, so they took Bowers. Like I said, good player, but needed other positions. Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson came in the second, and he is moving to guard. I didn't love fourth-round tackle Delmar Glaze.
Worst Pick: I think tight end Brock Bowers is a good player, but why take him when you took Michael Mayer last year and he flashed big time late last season? They had other needs. This was a luxury pick.
The Skinny: They didn't get a chance to take one of the top quarterbacks since they were all gone, so they took Bowers. Like I said, good player, but needed other positions. Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson came in the second, and he is moving to guard. I didn't love fourth-round tackle Delmar Glaze.
Sporting News - Grade: D
Analysis: The Raiders' draft, from a talent perspective, was fine early. Bowers was worthy of their first-round pick, but it was a bit of a luxury reach with much bigger needs at other positions. Powers-Johnson easily was their best pick, whether he starts at center or right guard. But it cannot be ignored that the Raiders were disinterested in chasing QB or wide receiver at any point in a strong class for both early. Tom Telesco's initial class also pales badly to everyone else in the division.
SI - Grade: A-
Analysis: The Raiders and their fans should be thrilled. Without trading up, Las Vegas was able to select Bowers, who was easily the best tight end in this class. Then, on Day 2, GM Tom Telesco found a pair of starting-caliber offensive linemen in Powers-Johnson and Glaze, with the former ranking as the class's best center.
Touchdown Wire - Grade: B
Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy preferred two-tight end sets when he was the Bears' OC, and now Las Vegas has two first-round tight ends in Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers. Bowers is more potentially explosive downfield than he was at Georgia, and I'll be fascinated to see how he works in a more vertical passing game.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, my favorite interior offensive lineman in this class, may move to guard, and he's got a killer combination of size, power, and agility. He'll make that line better right away, as will Delmar Glaze, who has experience at left and right tackle.
The Raiders got themselves two potential sleepers here — Dylan Laube forced 75 missed tackles on 245 rushing attempts last season, and he had 21 runs of 15 or more yards. M.J. Devonshire has a lot of snaps of great man/match coverage where he's just velcroing himself to receivers all over the field. I'd like more at cornerback here than Decamerion Richardson, who's hit-and-miss, but not a bad draft overall.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, my favorite interior offensive lineman in this class, may move to guard, and he's got a killer combination of size, power, and agility. He'll make that line better right away, as will Delmar Glaze, who has experience at left and right tackle.
The Raiders got themselves two potential sleepers here — Dylan Laube forced 75 missed tackles on 245 rushing attempts last season, and he had 21 runs of 15 or more yards. M.J. Devonshire has a lot of snaps of great man/match coverage where he's just velcroing himself to receivers all over the field. I'd like more at cornerback here than Decamerion Richardson, who's hit-and-miss, but not a bad draft overall.