Raiders GM Jokes He Used Magic 8 Ball, Not Coin Flip, for Bowers-Terrion Arnold Pick

Las Vegas Raiders general manager Tom Telesco found an amusing way to dispute that the team used a coin to determine whether to select Brock Bowers or Terrion Arnold with the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Appearing on NFL Network's Total Access (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Kownack), Telesco joked he uses a "magic 8-ball and not a coin" to make draft picks.

Telesco's comment comes after Arnold said on The Next Round podcast that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce called him after the draft and said team officials "had a coin toss" to decide between the two players.

Multiple people with the Raiders disputed Arnold's account. Pierce told ESPN's Ryan Clark they said Bowers "all the way" after Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy came off the board before their turn came up.

Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly told The Athletic's Vic Tafur he "can't confirm that at all" when asked about the coin flip.

"Terrion is a good player. I'm excited to watch his career and watch him play," Kelly said. "But we drafted Brock, and we're excited to get him here. And I don't think anyone else in our whole draft room felt any other way."

Arnold was on the board longer than most analysts expected, but that was generally the case for defensive players in the first round. The draft set records for most consecutive offensive players selected (14) and total offensive players (23) selected in round one.

B/R's NFL scouting department had Arnold ranked as the 11th-best prospect in the 2024 class. The Detroit Lions ended Arnold's wait when they traded up five spots to select the Alabama cornerback with the No. 24 overall pick.

Telesco and the Raiders are counting on Bowers to add another dimension to their passing game with Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers as their top two receivers. The 21-year-old led Georgia in receiving yards in each of his three seasons with the program.