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The Las Vegas Raiders have placed fans on edge during NFL Draft weekend numerous times. Silver and black fans cling to the hope their team doesn’t make a draft blunder.
Good news for Raiders nation: Vegas earned high grades for the first Pete Carroll draft. Chad Reuter of the NFL Network handed them an A grade. The Ashton Jeanty selection rose as the perfect move.
The AFC West franchise lured in 11 total picks. Not everyone earns the home run label, though.
Carroll’s Raiders draft debut still comes with head scratchers. Here are three of the biggest mistakes made during their draft weekend.
Yes, that includes considering Shedeur Sanders at either No. 68 or even No. 135. But Jalen Milroe was free for the taking too before going No. 92 to the Seattle Seahawks.
Vegas settled for the sixth round to nab a QB. After both Sanders and Milroe got off the board. And it’s Football Championship Subdivision star Cam Miller coming over.
Miller delivered immense dual-threat production at North Dakota State. He even got Sanders and the Buffaloes on their heels in the 2024 season opener — combining for three touchdowns in the near upset. Miller, however, is lacking ideal anticipation on his throws and even looked too hesitant to hit open targets.
New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly likely banged the table for this pick. He’s got a deep history of using running QBs. But if the Raiders really wanted to be aggressive, Milroe should’ve been the selection as high as 68th overall. The Alabama star earned rave reviews for his mobility — even garnering Lamar Jackson comparisons. A Milroe/Jeanty collaboration would’ve sounded surgical for this offense.
The Tennessee WR comes with boom-or-bust potential.
Some draft experts and fans saw this as an Al Davis move. And not always in a good tone with that sentiment. The late owner fell into a habit of fawning over speed — only to witness those players flop due to catching inconsistency.
Thornton dealt with his own cases of the drops. However, he’s a tall long strider at 6-foot-5 with a 4.3 time in the 40-yard dash. He averaged an astonishing 21.9 yards per catch for the Volunteers. He can adjust his body and catch the contested passes too inside the red zone.
But the Raiders get the latter element with fellow rookie Jack Bech already. Brock Bowers is another red zone option. An inside slot WR like Jaylin Lane of Virginia Tech would’ve made more sense.
Lane lacks the towering frame of Thornton. But drops were not labeled as a weakness in his draft evaluation by Zierlein. Lane also brings his own 4.3 speed to the field. But he’s an electric screen and hitch threat, which would’ve given the Raiders a needed YAC (yards after catch) option.
Off to the defensive side now. The Raiders smartly added muscle inside the trenches...
