• Terrion Arnold brings big-time talent to Las Vegas Raiders secondary: Arnold played mostly outside cornerback for Alabama over the past two seasons but gained some experience in the slot in 2023. He has great long speed, recovery speed, acceleration and agility. He also brings impressive ball skills with good on-ball production.
• Michael Penix Jr. is the Raiders' QB of the future: Penix has been a productive quarterback in Washington’s Air Raid system over the last two years. He shows off NFL-caliber distance and velocity on a variety of different throws, mostly outside the numbers. Penix could be considered the favorite in a competition with incumbent QB Aidan O'Connell.
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As the 2024 NFL Draft nears, our seven-round team mock draft series continues with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Round 1, Pick 13: CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama
Arnold played mostly outside cornerback for Alabama over the past two seasons but gained some experience in the slot in 2023. He has great long speed, recovery speed, acceleration and agility. He also brings impressive ball skills with good on-ball production.
With just one year as a full-time starter, he is a bit erratic in his style and had some missteps and whiffs on punches that got him turned around or off-balance in press coverage. When he’s aligned and in phase, he has the talent to shut down all kinds of receivers. Though green on total snaps, he does show a good understanding of postsnap adjustments and man-match principles.
Round 2, Pick 44: QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Penix has been a productive quarterback in Washington’s Air Raid system over the last two years. He shows off NFL-caliber distance and velocity on a variety of different throws, mostly outside the numbers.
Penix can attack the intermediate middle of the field, but it is not as natural. He also tends to throw with power too much. He can be a tick late on timing his throws, opting to put more juice on passes rather than more air underneath. This lends itself to a lack of consistent ball placement.
He also opts for the bigger throws and not as many “layups” even when available.
Round 3, Pick 77: WR Jalen McMillan, Washington
McMillan was a four-star recruit out of high school and committed to Washington over offers from schools such as Notre Dame and Alabama. He proved to be a wide receiver craftsman with the Huskies.
He shows a high level of receiver intelligence with his diverse route tree, feel for zone coverage and nuanced way of attacking defenders and their leverage. He is also strong at the catch point and lives for the big moments. He doesn’t have rare change of direction or top speed, but he knows how to get open consistently in a variety of ways as a flanker or slot receiver.
Round 4, Pick 112: C Hunter Nourzad, Penn State
The Raiders could use some interior offensive line depth, and luckily in the fourth round, Nourzad was available to provide exactly that. Nourzad has graded well as a run- and pass-blocker but specializes on zone concepts.
Round 5, Pick 148: OL Isaiah Adams, Illinois
Adams is still a developmental guard prospect. Moving to guard will mitigate some of his biggest issues, as he has the size and movement skills to be a potential starter in a zone-blocking scheme.
Round 6, Pick 208: LB Curtis Jacobs, Penn State
Jacobs is a good athlete with starting potential movement skills, but he must get stronger and continue to improve his coverage instincts to shorten throwing windows.
Round 7, Pick 223: DI Fabien Lovett, Florida State
Lovett is a stout run defender with plus measurables to play in between the B gaps in the NFL. His lack of pass-rush ability will likely limit him to a rotational player at best, but he can be a useful one.
Round 7, Pick 229: CB Ryan Watts, Texas
Watts failed to earn a single 70.0-plus coverage grade over his career. That said, his size, tackling ability and prowess against the run mean that he'll likely get a chance to stick around on special teams.
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