Las Vegas Raiders draft picks 2024

Here are the Las Vegas Raiders picks ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Las Vegas Raiders team needs

The Las Vegas Raiders defense played fairly well in the second half of the season, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. While Las Vegas boasts some talented edge rushers, they still regularly lose key battles in the trenches. In 2023, the Raiders finished 24th in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate (37 percent).

Defensive tackles are becoming more appreciated today and it’s an area where Las Vegas could upgrade. Bilal Nichols, John Jenkins, Adam Butler and Jerry Tillery all played 500-plus snaps this past season (PFF), but none of the trio were particularly effective.

Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton can be a difference-maker on the Raiders’ defensive line. This past season, the All-American defensive tackle posted the fourth-highest pass-rush win rate (15.5 percent) among interior linemen who played 250-plus pass-rushing snaps (PFF). As a pass rusher, he netted 28 hurries and 7 QB hits.

The beauty of landing Newton is that he can defend the run effectively. At 6-foot-2 and just under 300 pounds, Newton’s functional athleticism at his size enabled him to post a 7.4 percent stop rate against the run, being credited with 25 stops in his final season. Newton would be a highly effective three-down player for the Raiders.

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2nd Round, 44th overall: Kalen King, CB, Penn State Nittany Lions

Las Vegas made things work this past season and improved late in the year in part because of Jack Jones. Claimed off waivers, the former fourth-round pick played like a Pro Bowl cornerback after landing in Las Vegas. However, it’s important to remember that off-field issues remain a concern and cornerback play is extremely volatile yearly. Even if Jones replicates his success, there’s room to improve around him.

• Las Vegas Raiders pass defense 2023: 89.3 QB rating allowed (16th in NFL), 212.4 passing yards per game allowed (12th), 3.7% pass TD rate (12th), 6.9 yards per attempt allowed (14th)

Heading into the 2023 season, Penn State cornerback Kalen King was widely viewed as a potential top-15 talent in the 2024 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he had a disastrous season. The Nittany Lions’ defensive back allowed a 61 percent completion rate (PFF), although, he still held opponents to an 82.4 NFL QB rating when they targeted him.

Landing King in Round 2 of our Raiders mock draft is essentially buying low on a highly talented cornerback. After all, he allowed just a 45.8 percent reception rate, drew 0 penalties and held opponents to a 48.9 QB rating in 2022. If the Raiders’ coaching staff can get him to play at a level somewhere in the middle, they’ll have a high-end No. 2 corner.

There’s no such thing as too much depth on an offensive line and Las Vegas could have a spot open in 2024. While Andre James and Greg Van Roten more than held their own as starters on the Raiders’ interior offensive line this past fall, Dylan Parham did not.

The former third-round pick struggled for the second consecutive season. He’s now allowed 81 pressures, 60 QB hurries, drawn 10 penalties and surrendered 7 sacks in his NFL career. To make matters worse, Parham also isn’t holding up as a run blocker.

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Enter Christian Haynes. Standing at 6-foot-3, the UConn Huskies offensive lineman is an outstanding athlete for his size and it’s one of the reasons he thrived in pass protection at Connecticut. Unlike a lot of highly-athletic offensive linemen drafted in the mid-rounds, Haynes is fairly technically refined. He could be a solid plug-and-play starter, improving the Raiders’ interior pass protection for the next four years.