Raiders 2024 NFL Draft takeaways: Antonio Pierce’s culture shines through in this class

If you close your eyes, you can picture Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco in pre-NFL Draft meetings.

Telesco would name a prospect, and Pierce would then say “dawg” or “not a dawg,” referring to the player’s doggedness and aggression. Maybe even put a dog sticker on certain players’ names on the draft board.

Unlike previous regimes, Pierce has definitely created a culture going back to his promotion to interim coach, and Telesco has embraced it. Pierce wants confident, physical players who take the field with an edge. Wild and fun personalities are welcome, as long as they know when to get serious.

Telesco has had a smooth transition working with all of the Raiders’ incumbent scouts and draft people, and his laid-back, unpretentious personality has been a welcome change from the last regime, people in the building say.

Players have been working out at the facility in record numbers over the past few months, and that enthusiasm has carried over to the front office. The Raiders didn’t reach in the first round of the draft or take someone who is already injured, and that’s cause for celebration in itself.

Telesco and Pierce are pretty pleased with this year’s draft haul.

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The picks

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Best value pick

Jackson Powers-Johnson. It’s yet to be determined whether it’ll be at left guard or right guard, but the expectation is he’ll likely start at guard from Day 1. While first-round pick Brock Bowers should also be a Day 1 starter, he’ll be competing with receivers Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, fellow tight ends Michael Mayer and Harrison Bryant and the running backs for targets in the passing game. And Bowers needs to make significant strides as a blocker to justify keeping him on the field on run plays and asking him to pick up pass-blocking duties.

If Powers-Johnson beats out Cody Whitehair for a starting guard spot, there won’t be a situation where he comes off the field. Most of his success at Oregon came at center, but he has all the tools to contribute as an effective starter right away.

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Most surprising pick

Bowers. Almost no one highlighted tight end as a position the Raiders would address in the first round. But as Telesco said, they were “zeroed in” when Bowers slid out of the top 10. Although the Raiders were under a different regime when they drafted Mayer with the 35th pick last year, the current regime signed veteran Bryant this offseason and kept three other tight ends on the roster. This was just a shocking pick all around.

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Biggest question mark

Offensive tackle DJ Glaze. He overcame two ACL injuries in high school and started at both tackle spots at Maryland. Glaze didn’t fare well against some of the top speed rushers he went against, but he has good feet and strong hands and just needs to get stronger and sharpen up his footwork — he tends to overextend himself — to be in the mix for a starting job at right tackle.

Maryland’s DJ Glaze needs some work but could be a valuable swing tackle, if not an eventual starter. (Kevin Langley / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Remaining needs

Despite drafting Decamerion Richardson, the Raiders still lack a clear answer for who’ll be their other outside cornerback opposite Jack Jones. Jakorian Bennett, Brandon Facyson and Richardson will have the opportunity to compete for the job, but it’d make sense to add another veteran in free agency. Steven Nelson, Stephon Gilmore and Xavien Howard are among the top options available.

It might also be worth it for the Raiders to explore the veteran offensive tackle market. They’re set to have a competition between Thayer Munford Jr. and Glaze for the starting right tackle job, but there’s nothing wrong with adding some insurance in case of injury or poor performance. Andrus Peat, Chris Hubbard, Mekhi Becton and Charles Leno Jr. are still available and would make sense.

Quarterback could be listed here after the Raiders left the draft without adding a young prospect to the mix, but there isn’t an option available in free agency who would be an upgrade over Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell. Barring a superior quarterback becoming available via trade, the Raiders won’t be able to attempt an upgrade until next year.

Post-draft outlook

The Raiders added two starters in Bowers and Powers-Johnson and a potential swing tackle in Glaze. If Glaze develops, maybe that’s three starters. Richardson is a big-time athlete who needs to work on tackling, among other things.

Pierce talked about how much an elite corner would help the defense, but the Raiders went a different way in the draft, and now it remains to be seen if they’ll add a veteran in free agency or just roll with Jones, Nate Hobbs and Facyson as their top three.

The Raiders didn’t add a quarterback and waited until the sixth round to add a running back, so it’s going to be Minshew handing off to Zamir White and trying to get the ball downfield to Adams and Bowers. Yes, O’Connell will have a chance to beat out Minshew, but based on the two-year, $25 million deal they gave Minshew, the Raiders don’t seem to think that’s going to happen.

And maybe they should ask Tom Brady again if he wants to come out of retirement. He is only 46 and the Raiders are trying to be like the New England Patriots with two play-making tight ends. Ironically, it comes a year after Josh McDaniels and his crew of Bill Belichick disciples were here in Las Vegas.

(Top photos of Brock Bowers and Jackson Powers-Johnson: Kevin C. Cox and Steph Chambers / Getty Images)