The Las Vegas Raiders

It’s time for the Raiders to get back on track and get back fast. You can’t stink with a stadium like that when you move to Vegas. Antonio Pierce took over and the team had a clear new feel to it. Maybe not super bowl feel but they wanted to play for him way more. There were talks of Pierce not retaining the job but ending up doing so, so let’s see how he and Raiders higher ups did with this draft for four rounds and see where their goals should be.

Pick 13 Brock Bowers (TE) could have been the #1 on big boards haven’t there been multiple top QB’s. Bowers was a home run at any position and to get him at 13 is amazing value for the Raiders. Bowers was the best TE in College for three years really and he is going to impact games come the first snap of week 1.

Pick 44 is another home run for Jackson-Powers Johnson (OC). JPJ was the best Center in this draft and getting in over 800 snaps there without allowing a single sack is incredible considering he played RG all last of the 2022 season. On top of that he only allowed one hurry from his QB Bo Nix. JPJ gives me the Creed Humphrey vibe and will come in and just dominate the line of scrimmage and be his QB’s best friend going forward.

Antonio Pierce wants to gas out a defense and he wants to do that by adding more to the o-line with pick 77 DJ Glaze (OT). Now Glaze has experience at both OT positions playing over 800 snaps at both so he is very versatile. Allowing seven sacks over the last two years does not look great for Glaze but with his size a good o-line coach will have him hemmed in quickly. Glaze, I think will be moved back to RT and be competing for that spot day 1 in OTAs and into camp.

112th pick Decamerion Richardson (CB) was not my favorite of the bunch. I thought TJ Tampa at this spot could have still had some great value for a better player. When throwing at Richardson opposing QBs had a 90.1 rating. While that rating is the lowest of his career it’s still not great from the 100’s he was allowing. Decamerion has some good length and size to him so being on the outside is best and where he has played, it will be fun to see how he develops and if he gets a good role on the defense or finds himself a special teamer all year (which is very possible).

The Raiders need life. They may need a QB too but that is yet to be determined. I do like what the Raiders did but the bar for their drafts has been very low so the first two picks carry this draft for sure and that is why I am giving them a B- for this year’s draft. Even with some new juice I think a fair expectation for the Raiders is to have a winning season and be above 500. The Playoff hopes should come in the following year.