The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2024 Football Preview book. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps as well as draft class analysis from Ryan McCrystal. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2024 Football Preview.
With 2024 NFL training camps on the horizon, we’re starting to understand how 2024 NFL draft classes will impact each roster this season.
Let's look at the Las Vegas Raiders, breaking down the most likely instant-impact rookies from each class, while also providing some insight into why certain early picks may not see the field.
Who are the Las Vegas Raiders rookies?
- Brock Bowers — TE — Round 1
- Jackson Powers-Johnson — C — Round 2
- Delmar Glaze — OT — Round 3
- Decamerion Richardson — CB — Round 4
- Tommy Eichenberg — LB — Round 5
- Dylan Laube — RB — Round 6
- Trey Taylor — S — Round 7
- M.J. Devonshire — CB — Round 7
Las Vegas Raiders Draft Class Grade:
The Las Vegas Raiders received a C- draft grade from Sharp Football.
Which Raiders Rookies Will Make An Impact?
The Raiders added a versatile weapon in tight end Brock Bowers (first round) who is likely to see a significant role in the passing game immediately. Unlike most tight ends, Bowers does his damage after the catch. Based on route-adjusted data, Bowers gained 28% more yards after the catch than expected in his career. The downside to Bowers, however, is he is undersized and lacks the ideal catch radius of a tight end. His route-adjusted catch rate was just 4.1% above expected over the course of his career.
The addition of Bowers is also a curious fit given the run-heavy offense Antonio Pierce rolled out after taking over at midseason last year. Bowers lacks the strength to contribute in a significant way as a blocker, which may limit his ability to get on the field on early downs.
Jackson Powers-Johnson (second round) was essentially a 180-degree turn from Bowers in terms of his fit. Powers-Johnson excels as a physical run blocker. Although he primarily played center at Oregon, Powers-Johnson is likely the Week 1 starter at right guard in Las Vegas, though he may have to compete with Andrus Peat for that job. Oregon ball carriers averaged 2.8 yards before contact per attempt when running to Powers-Johnson’s gap last year, the third-best rate among Power Five centers.
Delmar Glaze (third round) was a surprising name to hear called on Day 2 given his struggles against top competition at both left and right tackle at Maryland. He is probably not ready to compete with Thayer Munford for the job at right tackle and will instead try to win the swing tackle job.
Decamerion Richardson (fourth round) is a developmental cornerback prospect with impressive length and athletic traits, but it never really clicked for him at Mississippi State. During his two years as a starter, Richardson allowed a catch rate 14% above expected based on route-adjusted metrics and generated a ball-hawk rate 56% below expected. Those are horrific numbers for a prospect, to the point where even the fourth round feels like a reach despite the physical traits.
Also joining the secondary is M.J. Devonshire (seventh round), the polar opposite of Richardson, with short arms and below-average speed but solid production. During his two years as a starter, Devonshire’s route-adjusted catch rate allowed was 11% below expected with a ball-hawk rate 22% above expected.
Tommy Eichenberg (fifth round) is a throwback linebacker, so it makes sense that he landed with Pierce. The athletic traits are underwhelming and he lacks ideal range and coverage skills for this era of football, but he’s an aggressive downhill run defender.
Dylan Laube (sixth round) has a chance to play a role as the Raiders’ pass-catching running back immediately. The passing game is not a strength for Zamir White nor Alexander Mattison, which gives Laube a rare path to immediate action for a sixth-round selection. Trey Taylor (seventh round) adds some depth at safety and will play a role on special teams.
GM Tom Telesco’s well documented stubbornness on draft day backfired this year. The team presumably wanted a quarterback, but Telesco rarely trades up. So the Raiders were left without a viable quarterback option on the board once Denver took Bo Nix. Without a quarterback available, the Raiders probably should have traded down, but Telesco has never traded down in the first round. He prefers to stay put and stick to his board, thus landing Bowers.
No one would argue against Bowers’ talent, but what impact will a pass-catching tight end have on this team? It looks especially bad when the previous regime just drafted Michael Mayer in the second round last year. Drafting one of the least valuable positions when it isn’t even a position of need on your roster is just bad business.
This analysis continues in the 2024 Football Preview
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