And just like that, the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. Per usual, it was a wild and unexpected ride, starting with all the Round 1 action. Day 2 and Day 3 delivered surprises of their own. Some teams capitalized on the opportunity, while others came up short. Let’s take a look at the 2023 NFL Draft recap, analysis, and grades for the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.
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2023 NFL Draft Recap, Analysis & Grades: Las Vegas Raiders
NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.
Thor Nystrom’s Overview & Grades
Las Vegas Raiders | Draft Grade: B-
| Pick | Team | Position | Rank | Name | School | Comp |
| 7 | Raiders | ED2 | 7 | Tyree Wilson | Texas Tech | Chandler Jones |
| 35 | Raiders | TE2 | 24 | Michael Mayer | Notre Dame | Jason Witten |
| 70 | Raiders | DL14 | 172 | Byron Young | Alabama | Marvin Wilson |
| 100* | Raiders | WR30 | 208 | Tre Tucker | Cincinnati | Calvin Austin III |
| 104 | Raiders | CB18 | 124 | Jakorian Bennett | Maryland | Jamar Taylor |
| 135 | Raiders | QB8 | 141 | Aidan O’Connell | Purdue | Mike White |
| 170 | Raiders | S11 | 148 | Christopher Smith | Georgia | Rodney McLeod |
| 203 | Raiders | LB36 | 372 | Amari Burney | Florida | Christian Elliss |
| 231 | Raiders | DL23 | 280 | Nesta Jade Silvera | Arizona State | Rashard Lawrence |
I loved what the Raiders did early. They traded hits and misses after that.
I was told earlier this month that the Raiders loved QB Anthony Richardson and hoped he would get to them. But outside of making a king-sized offer to Arizona for No. 3 — it wouldn’t have been easy to trump Houston’s Texas-sized package — that option was never on the table. So the Raiders deferred to EDGE Tyree Wilson at No. 7, an atrium-ceiling prospect on the other side of the ball.
In Round 2, the Raiders seized the moment to stop TE Michael Mayer‘s fall, swapping No. 38 and No. 141 to the Colts for No. 35. Mayer’s ceiling may be capped, but he’s a true dual-threat inline tight end who blocks his tail off and moves the chains as a receiver in the intermediate area.
The two third-rounders – DT Byron Young and WR Tre Tucker – were both massive reaches. Tucker, in particular. What about his profile was worth a top-100 pick? Better WR prospects were available 100 picks later.
But the Raiders were able to right the ship on Saturday, particularly through the three-step on CB Jakorian Bennett, QB Aidan O’Connell, and S Christopher Smith.
Andrew Erickson’s Overview & Grades
Would have preferred Christian Gonzalez for the Raiders in Round 1 because their secondary is in rough shape. Still, Tyree Wilson opposite Maxx Crosby is going to be a fierce combination. Let’s just hope Wilson’s medicals check out.
Las Vegas followed up Round 1 with another player that some mocked as a top-15 player pre-draft with tight end Michael Mayer. The Notre Dame product surprisingly fell out of Round 1 altogether and the Raiders jumped up a few spots with Indianapolis to snag him for the price of a Day 3 pick. This past season he caught 5.6 passes per game as his team’s featured weapon. Mayer offers the complete package at the tight end position.
The Raiders added a run-stuffer on their defensive line in Round 3 which they desperately needed to do. Young finished the 2021 season as PFF’s fourth-highest-graded run defender among the defensive line.
But the worst pick they made – and my vote for the stone-cold worst selection on Day 2 – was Tre Tucker. Tucker was my 30th-ranked WR and looks more like a special teams contributor than an integral piece on offense. Fantasy managers should ignore the draft capital bump Tucker will likely get after being heavily over-drafted. Why LV didn’t take on his superior teammate Tyler Scott is beyond me.
Finally, in Round 4 the Raiders addressed their atrocious secondary, with the great selection of Jakorian Bennett. He ran a 4.3 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine while jumping out of the building with a 91st percentile vertical jump/95th percentile broad jump. Because Bennett’s production was eerily similar to teammate Deonte Banks last season, the Raiders got a steal in Round 4.
They also got a quarterback to back up the injury-prone Jimmy Garoppolo with Aidan O’Connell. O’Connell finished second in his draft class in passing yards per game (291) while displaying above-average accuracy as a thrower from the pocket. With a super quick release, the Purdue signal-caller finished inside the top-4 quarterbacks in catchable target percentage and on-target rate per Sports Info Solutions. Don’t be surprised to see the Raiders turn to him if Jimmy G suffers another injury. Worthy of an SFLEX roster spot in my opinion.
FINAL DRAFT GRADE: B-
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