The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror. After a flurry of selections from April 25 to April 27, 257 players were selected to join the NFL.
With that, we give you our full recap of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ draft, with analysis on every selection the team made during the weekend and an in-depth look at their top pick.
For more information on the players your favorite team drafted, it’s not too late to get the 2024 NFL Draft Guide, which includes expanded scouting reports, draft grades, offseason reports, unique advanced data, PFF grades and much more.
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2024 Draft Picks
- 1 (13): TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
- 2 (44): C Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
- 3 (77): T Delmar Glaze, Maryland
- 4 (112): CB Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State
- 5 (148): LB Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
- 6 (208): RB Dylan Laube, New Hampshire
- 7 (223): S Trey Taylor, Air Force
- 7 (229): CB MJ Devonshire, Pittsburgh
Bowers — With the top six quarterbacks off the board, the Raiders go with a “best player available” approach despite taking tight end Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Bowers is a versatile offensive weapon and should be an immediate impact player thanks to what he can do with the ball in his hands. Bowers’ 689 receiving yards after contact during his college career at Georgia are more than any other tight end since PFF began charting college football in 2014.
Powers-Johnson — Powers-Johnson’s slide ends as the Raiders pick the interior offensive lineman with positional versatility. They struggled mightily at the guard positions in 2023, and current center Andre James was PFF’s ninth-highest-graded player at the position. Powers-Johnson allowed just one quarterback pressure on 481 pass-blocking snaps in 2023 and is PFF’s highest-graded college center since 2022 (91.5).
Glaze — The Raiders double down on the offensive line on Day 2, picking Maryland’s Delmar Glaze, a big reach compared to the PFF big board and consensus boards. Glaze graded well in 2023, posting an 83.6 pass-blocking grade, but his movement skills are a bit lacking for an NFL tackle, making him a better option on the interior.
Richardson — Richardson is a plus player against the run and earned a career-best 75.9 PFF run-defense grade in 2023. He missed just 3.9% of his tackle attempts last season.
Eichenberg — Eichenberg racked up an impressive 75 combined run stops in 2022 and 2023, the top mark among Big Ten linebackers. In that span, he also amassed 29 tackles for loss or no gain, which ranked third in the conference.
Laube — Laube should have a role on special teams and as a receiving threat out of the backfield for the Raiders. He tallied more than 700 receiving yards with 23 forced missed tackles after the catch in his final season at New Hampshire, and he cleared an 80.0 PFF receiving grade in each of the past three seasons.
Taylor — Taylor won the Jim Thorpe Award for the best defensive back in college football in 2023. He earned an 89.0 overall grade last year, fourth among all safeties. On 39 throws into his coverage, he allowed just 22 catches for 202 yards and one score.
Devonshire — Over his last two years at Pittsburgh, Devonshire forced 18 incompletions in coverage, the sixth-best mark among ACC cornerbacks. He also allowed only 45% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be caught, the sixth-best mark in the conference.
DRAFT GRADE: B+
Rookie Spotlight: TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Scouting summary
Bowers is one of the most well-rounded tight end prospects ever to enter the NFL.
He was named the SEC's Freshman of the Year in 2021. In his sophomore and junior seasons, he was named an All-American and won the John Mackey Award.
His build-up speed is good for the NFL, which is why he has elite after-the-catch ability. He also has some of the strongest hands you'll see for a tight end.
As a blocker, he might be the strongest pound-for-pound tight end you'll find. His versatility allows him to be an elite pre-snap movement piece, as defenses must account for where he is at all times and in all formations.
Wins above average
WAA represents the number of wins a player is worth over an average college football player and is a metric that evaluators can utilize to assess performance. It combines how well a player performed in each facet of play (using PFF grades) and how valuable each facet is to winning football games.
The result is a first-of-its-kind metric that allows for cross-positional valuation and predicts future value at the player and team levels.
How Bowers ranks in the stable metrics
Bowers is a dynamic playmaker who graded out as one of the best tight ends in PFF College history. He averaged 2.64 yards per route run and 8.5 yards after the catch per reception over his career, which would have ranked first among all NFL tight ends last season.
The Georgia product isn't the biggest guy, but he ranked in the 80th percentile in contested catch rate for his career.
If he doesn’t look like your typical tight end, it’s because he’s not. Bowers has lined up in the slot or as an outside receiver on 1,033 snaps and as an in-line tight end on 876 snaps. Whichever team picks him in April is getting an elite weapon.
The bottom line
Besides being on the smaller side, Bowers is a dream tight end prospect who can be an impact player in the slot, out wide and in line. Add in his reliable blocking ability on the line and in space, and you have an ultimate chess piece offensive weapon with All-Pro potential.
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