It was very obvious that the Las Vegas Raiders went into the 2024 NFL Draft with the intent to draft a franchise quarterback. That's not a shot at Aidan O'Connell or Gardner Minshew, but we knew they wanted to go after a quarterback because that's what head coach Antonio Pierce had been saying all offseason.
Obviously, it didn't happen that way. The Atlanta Falcons threw a wrench in the Raiders' plans when they drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick just shortly after signing Kirk Cousins to a new contract that guarantees him $125 million. It shocked everyone, and no one still really knows why they did it. But it put the Raiders in a position to get the best overall player in the draft in Brock Bowers.
But why didn't they continue to go after a quarterback? Well, they didn't feel any other QBs were worth taking. So, they were looking past the position when they went on the clock, mainly because of the problem they encountered that really no one thought they would. Six quarterbacks were taken in the first 12 picks.
"It was a lot. I think it's an NFL record, right? It's one of those situations you just play it out," Pierce said on Friday. "You're sitting there watching like everybody else, and again you've got your board, you're sitting there and then you look, and you say, 'We've got A or B or whatever it is,' and obviously we're very fortunate to get a guy like Brock Bowers in our room and in our building."
They will give their two quarterbacks a plethora of weapons around them to try and limit the number of mistakes the quarterbacks make, which is pretty smart. Whoever does win over the starting job will now have a much easier job with the likes of Bowers, Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Michael Mayer, Zamir White, and Alexander Mattison on the field with them.
Bowers, though, has the potential to become the best tight end in the league. The Raiders, though, still made the right decision, regardless of what happened.
