Raiders' Players Who Will Be Most Impacted by 2024 NFL Draft Picks
The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot on the line in the 2024 draft. New general manager Tom Telesco has his first opportunity to build his own foundation.
He's already made some aggressive moves in free agency and takes over a roster that finished 8-9 last season. There's definitely talent on board, but Telesco will undoubtedly have a specific vision he'll pursue during the draft.
That might mean very different roles for several Raiders players going forward.
Specifically, these three players could see their roles heavily impacted by the Raiders draft.
QB Gardner Minshew II
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One of the most important moves that Telesco made this offseason was inking Gardner Minshew II to a two-year, $25 million contract.
The contract puts Minshew squarely in the high-end backup/stopgap starter salary range. His role figures to land somewhere in between those two spots. It all depends on what happens with the Raiders pursuit of a quarterback in the draft.
This year's quarterback class has the potential to generate six first-round quarterbacks. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are in the top five on our big board. Jayden Daniels is ranked in the top 32 at 31 and J.J. McCarthy at 33.
Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. also have the talent to sneak into the first round as well.
Who the Raiders draft and just how ready they are to start Week 1 will determine what kind of role Minshew will have next season. If the Raiders trade up from the 13th pick to get a quarterback they will likely wind up starting them from Day 1 and Minshew will be the backup.
However, if they wait until No. 13 or even pass on a quarterback to draft one later, then Minshew could at least start at the beginning of the 2024 season.
Bringing in the veteran has given the Raiders flexibility with how they approach the position.
RB Zamir White
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If it weren't for the draft, Zamir White would be the locked-in RB1 from Day 1 for the Raiders. Fantasy managers could rejoice because it looks like White is primed to take over Josh Jacobs role.
The 2022 rushing champion saw a decline in his production in 2023 but still had a high-volume role with 270 total touches. Jacobs left Vegas for Green Bay in free agency, vacating a massive hole in the Raiders backfield.
The Raiders signed Alexander Mattison. However, the 25-year-old didn't take full advantage of his opportunity to take over the Vikings backfield last season. That would set up White—who was second on the team with 119 touches—as the next in line for Jacobs' role.
That could change drastically depending on if, and when, the Raiders target a running back in the draft.
There's a chance they don't. White and Mattison could be a good enough duo for the Raiders. But this new front office isn't attached to White. They didn't draft him and it's hard to know how they view him.
Whether or not the Raiders target a running back could give us insight into how they feel. It's not a particularly strong class. There are no first-round prospects at the position and the top five on our board profile as role-specific backs in a rotation.
Still, if the Raiders target a running back in Day 2 it would shift expectations for both White and Mattison.
OL Thayer Munford
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The Raiders go into the draft with two glaring holes on the offensive line at right guard and right tackle.
The spots were primarily filled by Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor last season. However, Van Roten hasn't been re-signed for his age-34 season. Eluemunor has since signed with the New York Giants.
That makes right tackle or guard a position that could be targeted in the draft.
Which position they decide to address will likely be impacted by what they think of Thayer Munford. The former Ohio State blocker had some struggles at tackle last season. He ended up making 10 starts as a swing tackle playing on both the left and right sides.
According to Sports Info Solutions, he had 17 blown pass blocks while allowing four sacks.
At the same time, Munford was an asset in the run game. He only had two blown blocks in the run game. A move inside might be the right move. If the Raiders draft a tackle it's possible that Munford could kick inside and compete there where his lapses in pass blocking would be minimized.
If new offensive line coach James Cregg believes he can develop Munford into a starting tackle it would allow the Raiders to go after a guard in the draft.
Either way, we'll know more about Munford's role after the draft.
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