Sure, the Las Vegas Raiders were hoping for a top quarterback, but they got very lucky when tight end Brock Bowers fell into their laps with the #13 overall pick in the recent NFL draft.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Bowers may very well be the single-best player in the entire draft.
Gardner Minshew will do just fine this season. But in the big picture, the Raiders still need a long-term franchise quarterback.
However, they are slowly but surely piecing together a talented roster.
Having said all of that, the question has suddenly been raised: Did the Raiders come close to passing up on Bowers???
According to Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, Las Vegas’ pick at #13 came down to a literal coin-toss.
Arnold was widely considered a potential pick for the Raiders. However, they ultimately decided to pass on him, leaving Arnold available for the Detroit Lions to snatch up at #24.
Speaking on “The Next Round” podcast, Arnold recounted a conversation he had with the Raiders which made him think they took the whole 50/50 thing to a new level.
“The Raiders coach, they called me after the draft, they were actually like, ‘We had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers and landed on him,’” Arnold disclosed during the podcast.
The revelation adds a unique twist to the typical draft process, with the fate of Arnold’s NFL destination seemingly determined by the flip of a coin.
However, the drama didn’t end there for Arnold.
Despite the Lions managing to secure him with the #24 overall pick, he revealed that the team was eager to trade up even higher to ensure they landed him.
According to Arnold, Lions general manager Brad Holmes was actively pursuing trades to move up to either the 15th or 16th pick, fearing that the Jacksonville Jaguars, who held the 17th pick, would select him.
However, the Jaguars ultimately traded down to the 23rd pick and still passed on Arnold.
The peculiar draft-room story of Arnold’s fate being decided by a coin toss has left many questioning its validity.
In many ways, it sounds like Arnold was just trying to pump up his ego and make it seem like he was supposed to be drafted much higher than he was.
If that’s true, then this whole thing is not a good look for him at all.
It should certainly be noted that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has completely denied the story.
“No call, and no coin flip,” Pierce told ESPN’s Ryan Clark. “As soon as the last two quarterbacks went off the board, we said Bowers all the way.”
General manager Tom Telesco confirmed Pierce’s side of the story.
“Typically, I use a magic 8-ball and not a coin,” Telesco joked on NFL Network. “But no, part of that draft process, we’ll go through all the different scenarios of what could happen in the first round and how we would react to it and discuss it.
“When you’re picking 13, there aren’t that many scenarios to go through. So obviously we had gone through the scenario of players being gone and Brock Bowers is there, and we discussed in a small group: If that (happens), like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna take Brock.’ So, we had gone through the process.”
What are your thoughts on the semi-controversy?
Do you think Arnold is lying? … If so, what does that say about him to lie about something so silly?
Or did the Raiders really decide who they were going to draft by flipping a coin? … I’m sure you find that nearly impossible to believe.
In the bigger picture, what are your thoughts on the Bowers pick?
Do you agree that he has a legitimate chance to go down as pound-for-pound the best overall player in the entire draft???