Category: Raiders NFL Draft

Raiders select Maryland OT Delmar Glaze with the No. 77 pick

Raiders select Maryland OT Delmar Glaze with the No. 77 pick

The Las Vegas Raiders have made their third pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting Maryland OT Delmar Glaze with the No. 77 pick. This is the second offensive lineman that the Raiders have selected on Day 2 as Antonio Pierce tries to build up their trenches.

Glaze has started 17 games at left tackle and 15 at right tackle. He has fantastic size with nearly 35″ arms and over 10″ hands. He’ll likely compete with Thayer Munford for the starting right tackle spot in 2024.

Raiders Round 2 OL Jackson Powers-Johnson: Wrestling ‘huge’ for development as football player

Jackson Powers-Johnson credits wrestling for his football success that had him drafted at 44 to the Raiders

As a former wrestler myself, I often preach to others the benefits to my time on the mat. The skills translate well to pretty much any sport as well. Raiders newest offensive lineman understands these benefits.

They selected Oregon guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson with the 44th overall pick in the second round Friday. Shortly after the pick, I had the chance to ask the 6-3, 328-pound mauler about his wrestling background and how it helped him as a football player.

“Wrestling was a huge part of my life,” said Powers-Johnson. “Definitely translating in leverage and physically and also straight mental toughness. Wrestling is the hardest sport. So, me doing that to prepare for football and really getting that mentality from wrestling, it’s really huge for me. I always tell young kids or football players coming up through little league that they should wrestle. It was huge in my life.”

There is no question when you watch Powers-Johnson that he takes the skills he learned on a wrestling mat and brings them to the gridiron.

In his draft guide “The Beast”, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler describes Powers-Johnson’s best attributes “plays with a firm base and fierce hands . . . with the natural movement skills and stability at contact to torque and fend off defenders.”

Those are absolutely skills that become second nature as a wrestler. And he used those skills to become a unanimous All American and Rimington Award winner as the nation’s top center last season for Oregon.

Raiders add Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson at No. 44

Raiders add Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson at No. 44

After selecting Brock Bowers in Round 1, the Raiders made their second choice of the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday. With the No. 44 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have selected Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson.

This is an interesting fit after the Raiders re-signed Andre James this offseason. “JPJ” does have experience playing guard and could likely start at right tackle moving forward. Powers-Johnson was the No. 32 player on the NFL’s Draft Expert consensus board, meaning that Tom Telsco got good value once again.

One of the reasons why Powers-Johnson “fell” in the 2024 NFL Draft was due to some injury concerns. However, he participated in the Senior Bowl and was one of the most dominant players in Mobile. He was one of the top centers in all of college football last season and adds more toughness and size on the interior defensive line for Las Vegas.

2024 NFL Draft: Could Raiders be looking quarterback on Day 2?

Could Raiders be looking quarterback on Day 2?

Sitting at pick 13, the Raiders were in a precarious position considering their need at quarterback. There were six quarterbacks who were considering worthy of a first round pick and all six of them were gone by the 12th pick.

When looking at scenarios pre-draft, this always seemed like a distinct possibility considering the needs of the teams ahead of them. It was the Falcons taking Michael Penix that seemed to shake things up, but there’s no guarantee that had they passed on Penix that another team wouldn’t have taken him or even jumped up ahead of the Raiders to take him.

The result was the Raiders were the only QB-needy team left without a chair when the music stopped, prompting them to take the best player available in tight end Brock Bowers.

This isn’t to say there is literally no decent quarterback talent left in this draft. Just none that were deemed worthy of a first round pick. Or, in some views, not even worthy of a second round pick.

It would not be good if the Raiders get through this draft without adding some young competition to the quarterback room to go with former fourth round pick Aidan O’Connell and journeyman free agent acquisition Gardner Minshew.

The question is when they decide to pull the trigger on getting that quarterback.

The next highest rated quarterback in this draft is South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, who draft analyst Dane Brugler gives a third round grade and the consensus big board has as the 93rd overall prospect, which is late third round.

Brugler describes Rattler as an “Aesthetically pleasing passer with his fluid release and impressive arm talent” but points to the interview process as the key to how teams will view him.

If the Raiders go strictly on value on the board, they might wait to consider taking Rattler until their pick at 77 overall in the third round. But with this being the quarterback position, would they ignore his place on draft boards — that is to say if they even agree with these boards — and take him at 44? We are talking about quarterback, after all. Which if what happened at the top of the draft is any indication, it should be (and is) treated differently than other positions.

Keep in mind, there were reports the Giants, Saints, and Seahawks were among teams looking at adding a quarterback in this draft as well, so the Raiders could have some competition.

Let’s say the Raiders go with board value (again) and pass on Rattler at 44. And let’s say another team takes him before they’re up at 77. What then?

Well, after Rattler, there appears to be another dropoff at quarterback. With only Tulane’s Michael Pratt rated as a borderline Day two pick. Brugler has him as a Round 3-4 talent and the consensus big board has him at 127 (4th round). The Raiders next pick after 77 is 112 in the 4th round.

The next tier consists of Kentucky’s Devin Leary, Tennessee’s Joe Milton III, and Florida State’s Jordan Travis — all of whom are considered at best Round five prospects. But, again, who could possibly go at least a round higher based on the fact that they play the most premium position in football.

For those counting along at home, that’s just five quarterbacks left in this draft deemed worthy of a pick ahead of the sixth round. So, yeah, not much depth left, which isn’t all that surprising considering the crowd at the top of the draft.

If you’re the Raiders, it would somewhere between unwise and downright irresponsible not to take a quarterback in this draft. And it could be very risky to wait until Day three to consider taking one. We’ll see how the draft plays out and see if we have to revisit this conversation tomorrow.

How will new Raiders TE Brock Bowers fit with Michael Mayer?

How will new Raiders TE Brock Bowers fit with Michael Mayer?

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Raiders now is how newly drafted tight end Brock Bowers will fit with Michael Mayer. The Raiders used a very early second-round pick on Mayer last year, and the expectation was that he would have an even bigger role this year.

In a recent article by The Athletic, they wrote about the potential fit between Bowers and Mayer, now that they are both on the Raiders. Here is a snippet of their thoughts on the pairing:

Bowers is a tight end, but he also has the versatility to line up as a slot receiver and true outside receiver. He’ll form a tight end duo with Mayer, who the Raiders drafted in the second round last year.

Bowers is a smaller tight end — 6-foot-3, 243 pounds — and didn’t display the skill set to be an effective blocker as an inline tight end in college, so those duties will likely fall on the shoulders of Mayer, who’s 6-4, 265 pounds and showed improvement as a blocker late last season. For this pick to be worth it, though, Bowers has to grow into an every-down player.

Having two tight ends like this might feel redundant, but they are completely different players. Bowers is more likely to line up in the slot, replacing Hunter Renfrow. And Mayer will be the tight end that never leaves the field. We could even see sets with Bowers in the backfield, lining up as an H-back.

It will be fascinating to see how Luke Getsy uses both players, but expect them to be on the field together a lot during the 2024 season.

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Mel Kiper Jr. praises selection of TE Brock Bowers by Raiders

Mel Kiper Jr. praises selection of TE Brock Bowers by Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders made one of the more surprising picks in Round 1, selecting Georgia TE Brock Bowers. The Raiders selected Michael Mayer early in Round 2 last year and he showed flashes as a rookie. But now, they’ve added star tight ends in back-to-back drafts.

However, the Raiders are getting a lot of praise for the selection, especially from the draft community. NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. loved the selection of Bowers as the Raiders simply took the best player available:

The Raiders got good value on Brock Bowers at No. 13, and I think he’s more than a tight end. I’ve long called him an “offensive entity.” He can play out wide or inline or as an H-back. Sure, they missed out on the quarterbacks, but Bowers will be a stellar player for Gardner Minshew in 2024.

It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy uses the two tight ends in their offense, but the good news is that Mayer and Bowers play the tight end position differently. Mayer is more of your traditional tight end where as Bowers is the “move” tight end that can play in the backfield and in the slot.

The Raiders didn’t overdraft a player because of need. They stood in there at No. 13 and took the best player available. You can never get too upset with that philosophy.

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NFL Draft: Best available after Round 1

NFL Draft: Best available after Round 1

The first round is in the books. As always happens, there were players who were taken who were a surprise and players who were not taken who were a surprise.

This is about the latter. This is the best available players as Round one came to a close and we head into Day two of the draft.

The Raiders took tight end Brock Bowers at pick 13 in the first round. Their biggest needs are still at QB, OT, CB, and OG.

They have the 44th pick, which is the 12th pick of the second round. So let’s start with the top 11 players, many of whom were pegged as first round talents by some.

Jer’Zhan Newton, DI, Illinois
Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
Keon Coleman, WR, Florida St
Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
Ennis Rakestraw, CB, Missouri
Zach Frazier, IOL, West Virginia

What jumps out to me is the cornerback position not being as in demand in the first round as expected. The first one wasn’t taken until pick 22 and only three were taken in the first round entirely. Leaving some quality still on the board for Day two.

As it happens, the 12th player on the board, is who I picked the Raiders to take in my seven-round mock draft. We pick up the best available with him and go from there.

Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
Payton Wilson, LB, NC State
Cooper Beebe, G, Kansas St
Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
Chris Braswell, EDGE, Alabama
Kris Jenkins Jr, DI, Michigan
Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa St
Junior Colson, LB, Michigan
Trey Benson, RB, Florida St
Jonathan Brooks, RB, Texas
Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
Christian Haynes, OG, UConn
Patrick Paul, OT, Houston
Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
T’Vondre Sweat, DI, Texas
Marshawn Kneeland, ED, Western Michigan

Raiders GM Tom Telesco stayed true to ‘Best Player Available’ with Brock Bowers pick

Tom Telesco eschews need and goes with ‘Best Player Available’ in Brock Bowers pick

Every GM touts ‘Best Player Available’ regardless of position coming into a draft. And it’s extremely rare to actually stay true to those words. Often times it’s downright unwise to stay true to that when you have glaring needs on your football team to consider.

Raiders GM Tom Telesco spoke this past week about that concept. He said essentially that team needs isn’t really relevant because needs can change quickly. To prove his point, he told the story of when the Chargers drafted Keenan Allen out of Cal when wide receiver wasn’t a need only to have some injuries thrust Allen into the starting lineup where he earned Rookie of the Year honors.

The story was great and all, but taken with a grain of salt. First of all, Allen was a third round pick, so it’s not nearly the same as ignoring need in the first round. More importantly, we’re still talking, again, about a concept that sounds great in theory, but is usually hard — and sometimes downright unwise — to follow in actual practice. After all, teams want to get better right now and loading up at already strong positions doesn’t often help them do that.

But I suppose credit it due to Telesco for staying true to his words with his first ever pick as Raiders GM.

When the Raiders pick came up at 13, they shocked a lot of people — including myself — who saw some talented players on the board who were at positions of need and took tight end Brock Bowers instead.

“You try and stick to [best player available] when you can,” said Telesco. “It’s harder than you think sometimes because you’re adding to the football team, and we know where we are today. We are looking for today and the future. But a player like Brock, just the scouting staff, where they have him, what they thought about him, what the coaching staff thought. He’s really a pretty consensus guy.”

Understandable that Bowers would be a consensus guy. He was a consensus All American at tight end last season. His third consecutive season making First Team All American and second straight season as the Mackey Award Winner. And he’s just a Junior.

Bowers said he was shocked by his selection by the Raiders. And that shock was shared by most everyone else by that pick. That’s because they add Bowers to a team that already has Michael Mayer who the Raiders traded up to select at 35 overall in last year’s draft, and Harrison Bryant who was one of the teams few free agent signings this offseason.

This, of course, makes one wonder if perhaps Telesco and the Raiders new offensive staff aren’t high on Mayer. But he insisted that wasn’t it.

“We love Michael Mayer. I love Michael Mayer. He’s a really good player, He’s going to take another big jump this year,” Telesco added. “But we had a chance to add another dimension to the offense, whether it’s tight end, hybrid receiver, whatever it is. We need more playmakers on that side of the ball, so he’s going to help us there. High level player in college, true junior, very young, still developing, but he’s got some natural football skills combined with some high level athletic ability and speed.”

What it also means is the Raiders still have the same glaring needs at quarterback, offensive tackle, and cornerback that they had coming into the night.

The quarterback situation was mostly taken out of their hands, with six of them coming off the board in the first 12 picks before the Raiders selected. But that left them with the likes of tackle Taliese Fuaga and their choice of all the cornerbacks because none had been taken. In fact they had their choice of any defensive player in the draft because none had been taken at that point.

What they will hope now is a first round level talent at one of those positions is there at 44 or perhaps at a spot they can trade up to should they want to do so.

Top pick TE Brock Bowers joins Raiders he grew up watching practice at his Napa middle school

Brock Bowers once watched the Raiders hold camp at his middle school. Now he’s their top pick in the draft.

At a young age, Brock Bowers had a frontrow seat every August when the Raiders came to Napa for training camp. The Raiders held camp on the grounds of Redwood Middle School where Bowers attended. Little did he know at the time, he would one day be donning those same uniforms.

The Raiders selected Bowers out of Georgia with the 13th overall pick.

“They used to have training camp right here in Napa, literally at my middle school,” said Bowers after being drafted by the Raiders. “It’s kind of cool how things come full circle like that. I remember going to watch them practice in training camp. It’s kind of cool how it comes around like that.”

“I remember watching… I think Derek Carr was there and I think I got an autograph from him and that was pretty sweet. That was one of my most memorable things.”

As it happens, the Raiders left Napa the same year Bowers did. The Napa High alum graduated in 2020, the same year the Raiders left for Vegas. Now after three years at Georgia, Bowers re-joins the team he watched growing up.