When it comes to the NFL Draft, no one has been doing it better or longer than Mel Kiper Jr. The 2023 NFL Draft marked his 40th season covering the draft and he was pretty pleased by the overall class of the Las Vegas Raiders.
In a recent article by Kiper, he graded every team’s draft class after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Raiders got a solid grade of B-, with Kiper’s biggest complaints coming after the selections of Tyree Wilson and Michael Mayer:
I had a fifth-round grade on defensive tackle Byron Young (70) and a sixth-round grade on quarterback Aidan O’Connell (135). Wideout Tre Tucker (100) went a round early. I liked the choice of safety Christopher Smith (170), but his tape is much better than his measurables, and I don’t know if he’ll ever develop into a starter.
Wilson will start, and Mayer is a ready-made replacement for Darren Waller, but I don’t see value with the rest of this class.
It does seem like the Raiders might have reached some on Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft, but they got players at positions of need. Young, Tucker, and Smith should all be able to find roles as rookies and O’Connell should be able to become the backup quarterback by 2024.
So while this isn’t the highest-graded class by any means for Kiper, he still liked the class overall. And if the Raiders hit on Wilson and Mayer, the rest of the class will just be an afterthought.
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