Antonio Pierce made the most of his trial run as the man in charge of the Las Vegas Raiders last year, with a 5-4 record as interim head coach doing enough to convince the organization he’s the right man for the job heading into the 2024 NFL season.
Pierce now has the opportunity to help mold the roster to his vision for the franchise with eight picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. Fortunately, we can aid in this process by using the PFN Mock Draft Simulator, which we will utilize for this projection based on their current draft capital.
Las Vegas Raiders 2024 NFL Draft Picks
The Aidan O’Connell experiment under center saw mostly mixed results, with 2,218 passing yards to go with 12 TDs and seven INTs through 11 games of action during his rookie season.
Ideally, the Raiders could stay at 13 and address the quarterback position without mortgaging future assets to move into the top 10 to select their future franchise signal-caller.
- Round 1, Pick 13: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
- Round 2, Pick 44: Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois
- Round 3, Pick 77: Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington
- Round 4, Pick 111: Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame
- Round 5, Pick 147: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC
- Round 6, Pick 207: Joshua Cephus, WR, UTSA
- Round 7, Pick 223: Omar Speights, LB, LSU
- Round 7*, Pick 229: Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota
* denotes compensatory/conditional pick
Las Vegas Raiders 7-Round 2024 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 13: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
The Raiders’ ideal situation plays out in this mock draft scenario, where the New England Patriots pass on a quarterback, and the Denver Broncos move out of the 12 spot to clear the way for Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy falling to Las Vegas at 13.
McCarthy is one of the tougher evaluations of this class due to the offensive philosophy of the Wolverines program. McCarthy ranked 96th in the FBS in dropbacks, which signaled the Michigan offense simply didn’t require him to carry the team on his arm alone to win football games.
Speaking of winning football games, that’s one thing McCarthy did a lot of in college, which speaks to his knack for winning football at a position that puts a premium on taking care of the ball and making timely plays to put his team in the best position to win.
He has all of the physical tools necessary to develop into a long-term starter in the NFL, which could present itself as a nice bridge situation with O’Connell beginning the year under center while McCarthy gets up to speed with Luke Getsy’s offense before taking the field for his rookie year.
Round 2, Pick 44: Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois
The Raiders’ defensive line unit quietly has some nice pieces in place to bank on heading into the 2024 NFL season.
Maxx Crosby is in the conversation for the best edge rusher in the league. Malcolm Koonce took an enormous step in the right direction last season with eight sacks. And Tyree Wilson has all the physical tools to be a disruptive force in years to come.
In this mock, arguably the best interior defensive line prospect falls into Pierce’s lap while on the clock at No. 44 overall.
Illinois’ Johnny Newton may not be a traditional 0-technique/two-gap specialist. Still, he has plenty of alignment versatility with fluid athleticism, effective hands, and uncommon bend for a player his size, which could make him another impact player along an improving defensive line unit for the Silver and Black.
Round 3, Pick 77: Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington
Some may argue that Thayer Munford Jr. has earned the full-time starting role at right tackle, but adding quality depth along the OL unit should never be considered a bad investment.
Washington’s Roger Rosengarten had a great 2023 campaign and projects as a right tackle entering the NFL, but he could feasibly transition inside to guard with his sheer physicality and play strength at the attack point, which could prove very useful in a Raiders offense that looked to commit to a downhill running game to finish out last season.
Round 4, Pick 111: Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame
The Raiders’ secondary could certainly use another contributor heading into the 2024 season, which could make Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart an intriguing selection in Round 4.
Hart has the physical tools and some athletic measurements that could project success in the NFL in the right system. When he trusts his eyes and confidently attacks the ball — both in the air and in run support — he flashes some real playmaking ability on a 6’3”, 202-pound frame.
Unfortunately, the potential on Hart’s prospect profile doesn’t quite translate to what you would hope for on his tape, making him more of a developmental, yet occasional, contributor early in his career.
Round 5, Pick 147: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC
The Raiders decided not to place the franchise tag on Josh Jacobs for a second consecutive season, which could leave a feature role up for grabs in Las Vegas’ backfield in 2024.
Zamir White certainly made a compelling case for that role, and a return to Las Vegas for Jacobs isn’t completely off the table yet, but adding extra depth in the backfield is definitely within the range of outcomes.
MORE: Top RBs in the 2024 NFL Draft
MarShawn Lloyd had flashes of feature back during his time at USC and South Carolina but comes with some inconsistencies with his noteworthy ball security and pass-protection concerns, which could determine how long Lloyd’s career in the NFL truly is.
Round 6, Pick 207: Joshua Cephus, WR, UTSA
The Las Vegas duo of Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers was one of the biggest bright spots of the 2023 offensive unit. Yet, the team could certainly use some competition for the rotating third spot between Tre Tucker and Hunter Renfrow.
Joshua Cephus is a savvy slot operator who showcases impressive stem intellect when attacking a defender’s leverage at the breakpoint and quickly becomes a real rushing threat with the ball in his hands.
Round 7, Pick 223: Omar Speights LB, LSU
Divine Deablo and Robert Spillane made for a nice off-ball linebacker duo in 2023, but Omar Speights would make for a potential special-teams contributor who could develop into a rotational contributor along the second level with his tackling integrity and functional athleticism in the NFL.
Round 7, Pick 229: Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota
South Dakota may not be known as an NFL factory, but they’ve sent a pretty impressive corner to the professional ranks who could hear his name called on Day 3.
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Myles Harden is a physical, competitive corner who has a dense, compact build and flashes great route concept recognition traits in zone coverage. Harden’s big step up in competition will give us a better idea of how effective he can be in man coverage at the next level.
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!
