2024 NFL Draft: Las Vegas Raiders' biggest team needs ranked

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2024 NFL Draft: Future Las Vegas Raider Michael Penix Jr.?

The Las Vegas Raiders come into the upcoming 2024 NFL draft with various holes on their roster to fill. Some positions the Raiders need to fill are more important than others, but they will be hoping to hit home runs on their selections to help the franchise move forward.

In what has been an offseason of change for Las Vegas, they hired interim head coach Antonio Pierce to take over full-time after ending 2023 with an 8-9 record. Before him, Josh McDaniels won just three of eight games and was clearly dividing the locker room, something Pierce has done well to change.

There will be much hope going into the 2024 season if the Raiders can nail a few of their draft picks.

Full List of Las Vegas Raiders' draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft

  • Round 1, pick 13
  • Round 2, pick 44
  • Round 3, pick 77
  • Round 4, pick 112
  • Round 5, pick 148
  • Round 6, pick 208
  • Round 7, pick 223
  • Round 7, pick 229

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Holding eight picks going into the 2024 NFL draft, just what holes on their roster do the Las Vegas Raiders desperately need to fill?

NFL Draft 2024: Las Vegas Raiders' team needs explored

#5 - Wide Receiver

Despite having two excellent options on their WR corps in Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders could do with picking up another star at the position.

Adams is a veteran and will be 32 by the end of the 2024 season, so there's no telling how long he'll be around for. As for Meyers, as good as he was in 2023, he's rarely been trusted to be a true WR1 throughout his career, so bringing in another stud can help ease the burden.

#4 - Running Back

Despite acquiring Vikings RB Alexander Mattison in free agency, the Raiders lost a big part of their offense when Josh Jacobs signed with the Green Bay Packers. They're currently heading into 2024 with Mattison competing with Zamir White for a starting RB berth.

Given that Mattison averaged under 4.0 yards per carry in 2023, they could do with addressing the position in the Draft with someone like Blake Corum or Trey Benson.

#3 - Cornerback

The Las Vegas Raiders could do with a playmaking cornerback heading into the 2024 NFL draft.

They totaled just 13 interceptions in 2024, better than just five teams. When you're facing Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice a year in the AFC West you need playmakers on defense. Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs are good pieces, but adding a third star corner could make improve their whole defense immediately.

#2 - Offensive line

The Las Vegas Raiders need to do something to address their offensive line issues in the 2024 NFL draft. Pro Football Network ranked the Raiders' offensive line as the second-worst in the NFL, and that was before they cut starting RT D.J. Fluker.

With this being one of the most loaded offensive tackle draft classes for a long time with stars such as Joe Alt, Taliese Fuaga, JC Lathum, Troy Fautanu and Olu Fashunu to name a few, now would be the ideal time to draft a piece of your offensive line for the next decade.

#1 - Quarterback

By far the biggest hole the Raiders need to fill is the most important position in football, the quarterback.

The disastrous Jimmy Garoppolo experiment was ended after just one year this offseason, and the Raiders are entering 2024 with Gardner Minshew, Anthony Brown and Aidan O'Connell battling for the starting berth.

Whilst Minshew is a great stopgap quarterback, he isn't one to lead your franchise into the future, like some of the prospects entering the NFL this year. The issue is that Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are all going to be off the board by the time the Raiders pick at 13th overall.

However, if they can get it right at QB, whether it be J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix, their fortunes could change immediately, akin to C.J. Stroud and the Texans a year ago.

Raiders Nation! Check out the latest Las Vegas Raiders Schedule and dive into the Raiders Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by John Maxwell
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