Sin City Raiders

How have the Las Vegas Raiders answered the age-old question of drafting the best player available versus drafting for immediate needs? The answer is yes.

With the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Raiders made a pick that sent shockwaves through even the longest tenured of die-hards in Raider Nation. A fanbase that once saw their beloved team draft a kicker in the first round couldn’t help but be puzzled to hear the Raiders select a tight end in the first round this year.

This fan in particular couldn’t believe it. Sure, there was no way we were taking a quarterback after six were taken in the first 12 picks. With QB off the board for now, it made sense to look at offensive tackles and cornerbacks, especially since at the time of the Raiders’ selection, not one defensive player had been taken.

Once the initial shock of taking a tight end wore off, this writer got to reading reports, and watching highlights of, our newest Raider, Mr. Brock Bowers. Yes, I am already putting respect on his name.

On paper, the Raiders didn’t need to upgrade at tight end. Just one year ago, they traded up in the second round to select Michael Mayer from Notre Dame and although I wouldn’t put his name near fellow Notre Dame-Raider tight end Dave Casper, he certainly showed he deserves a chance to be our tight end of the future, or at least one more year to prove himself.

But that is only on paper.

On the field, Bowers can line up at the traditional tight end spot along the line, he can kick out into the slot, he can take carries out of the backfield and when the young man was even younger, he was playing quarterback and running a triple-option based offense.

A two-tight end formation featuring Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer, Brock Bowers and Zamir White has potential. Having an offense featuring two strong tight ends (I can already hear “The Patriot Way” jokes) would cause matchup problems for opposing defenses. Will those defenses leave Adams one-on-one and dare to suggest that he is on the decline? Or do they focus on the future Hall of Famer and trust their linebackers to guard Bowers? Maybe while they’re thinking of that, Tre Tucker will be open 50 yards down the field.

One day after selecting Bowers, Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco once again went with the best player available according to their board. In the second round, they took Jackson Powers-Johnson, who played mostly at center for Oregon.

Just like on Thursday night, at first I was questioning this pick. Didn’t we just give our current center Andre James a new three-year contract worth over $20 million? But again, after doing the research, there is a lot to love about this pick, and not just because in Oregon they throw up the “O” like Charles Woodson would do in Oakland.

Two-time Super Bowl champion Jim Plunkett called JPJ a guard when announcing the pick, and at Oregon, he did play all three of the interior positions. And in 2023, he allowed only one QB pressure on 481 passing snaps, per PFF.

Although the Raiders did recently sign Cody Whitehair from Chicago for his familiarity with Luke Getsy’s offense, competition never hurt anyone and for all we know, JPJ could be a Week 1 starter.

Side note: Per Ian Rapoport, the team reached out to Andre James before announcing the JPJ pick and they reaffirmed to James that he, not JPJ, was their center in 2024. Take note Atlanta.

The Raiders did finish Day 2 of the draft with an offensive tackle in Delmar Glaze. Waiting until the third round for Glaze is a vote of confidence in the current projected right tackle, Thayer Munford. Most experts see Glaze as a project, not an immediate threat to leapfrog Munford on the depth chart.

So at the time of this writing (early Saturday morning) the Raiders have made three picks. Looking back at the opening question, are the Raiders drafting for “needs” or “best player available?”

The answer is yes.

The Raiders needed to get better. Bowers is an upgrade to the offense as a whole, not just at one position. For all the fans who wanted a first-round quarterback, Thursday was surely a disappointing night. But looking long-term, it is possible that the Raiders 2025 starting quarterback isn’t on the roster yet. But when they come to Las Vegas, they’ll have Bowers to throw to and they’ll have JPJ protecting them up front.

With Silver and Black’s early picks, this is looking like it will be (knocks on wood) one of the Raiders’ best draft classes in quite some time, maybe 10 years dating back to the Carr, Mack, Jackson picks of 2014.