The Las Vegas Raiders have denied that they used a coin toss to aid in their decision to select Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers with the No. 13 pick of the 2024 NFL draft.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce denied speaking to Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. “No call, and no coin flip,” said Pierce to ESPN NFL expert Ryan Clark. “As soon as the last two quarterbacks went off the board we said Bowers all the way.”
Antonio Pierce’s take on the matter conflicts with Terrion Arnold’s story. “The Raiders’ coach, they called me after the draft, and they were like, ‘You know, we (the Raiders) actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers and landed on him.’ I was like, oh wow.”
The Detroit Lions ended up drafting Arnold with the No. 24 pick in the draft. Arnold shared the story of the call on “The Next Round”, which is a podcast.
How did the Raiders decide between drafting Terrion Arnold and Brock Bowers?
A coin flip. pic.twitter.com/oHAcFeeyIx
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 7, 2024
It is possible that another Raiders coach called Arnold and mentioned how close Las Vegas came to drafting him without the Raiders flipping a coin.
Spoke to @Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, & denied speaking to Terrion Arnold. “No call, and no coin flip.”
“As soon as the last two QBS Went off the board. We SAID BOWERS all the way.” -AP
He also said the Bowers’ pick was ready before the Raiders were on the clock.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) May 9, 2024
The Raiders made a smart decision in drafting Brock Bowers, who is a very consistent receiving option.