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NFL teams spent months preparing for the draft, and while there’s only so much they can do to prepare for what unfolds, you’d think they have a pretty solid plan in place as far as the first round is concerned. However, the Raiders supposedly had to resort to a literal coin flip to figure out the direction they wanted to go this year.
The Las Vegas Raiders ended up with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the franchise had the opportunity to go in a few different directions based on its needs.
The team probably would’ve liked to secure a highly-touted quarterback when you consider it’s currently relying on the talents of Aidan O’Connell and backup Garnder Minshew, but it ended up on the outside looking in after six guys at that position were drafted over the course of the first twelve picks.
The Raiders ultimately opted to use the 13th pick to scoop up former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, which was a somewhat curious choice when you consider most experts thought they should have prioritized other positions—including cornerback.
Based on what former Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold had to say during a recent appearance on The Next Round, they came pretty close to going that route on draft night.
Earlier this week, the man who was eventually picked by the Detroit Lions with the 24th overall pick claimed he spoke with Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce after the draft and was informed a coin toss was the deciding factor.
How did the Raiders decide between drafting Terrion Arnold and Brock Bowers?
A coin flip. pic.twitter.com/oHAcFeeyIx
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 7, 2024
On Wednesday, Raiders assistant GM Champ Kelly got the chance to address that claim and said “I can’t confirm that at all” (although he didn’t explicitly deny it), adding, “Terrion is a good player. I’m excited to watch his career and watch him play. 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.”
At the end of the day, there are situations where a decision is tough to the point where a coin toss can make sense, but it’s still pretty wild to think an NFL team would resort to that solution on draft night.