Las Vegas Raiders’ GM Tom Telesco believes in drafting the best player available, especially in the later rounds.
Telesco recently sat down for a half-hour interview with Moe Pottios and Kevin Dull of Sunset Rewind. Toward the end of the conversation, Pottios asked Telesco about his draft strategy and how he approaches the later rounds.
“Last round of the draft, are you picking the best player on the board or a need?” Pottios asked.
Telesco didn’t hesitate to answer.
“In the seventh round, it’s the best player up there,” he said. “We don’t really fill needs in the draft, just because the needs we have at draft time, those needs are gonna change.”
Instead, Telesco likes to take a big-picture approach to his draft day philosophy.
“You are drafting a player for four or five years, so I am really thinking more about down the road, and down the road, I don’t really know what our needs will be,” Telesco said — adding that sixth- and seventh-round draft picks are, for a lack of better words, ‘lottery tickets.’
“I mean, I hate to call them lottery tickets, but the hit rate’s so low in that round. So we just want to get the best player. Hopefully, he makes the practice squad,” he continued.
Tom Telesco & His 11-Year History at the Draft
Telesco spent 11 years (2013-23) as general manager of the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. The team fired him (along with head coach Brandon Staley) on Dec. 15 following a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
One month later, on Jan. 23, the Raiders hired him to be their new GM — and now he’s preparing for his first NFL Draft with the team.
Tom Telesco has been named General Manager of the Las Vegas Raiders ????☠️
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 24, 2024
During his 11-year tenure with the Chargers, Telesco made a total of 58 picks in the NFL Draft — 11 of which were spent on linebackers.
And while 17 of those picks came in the sixth and seventh rounds, he didn’t have much luck with them.
Alohi Gilman, Sam Tevi, and Derek Watt are some of his best picks in the final two rounds. And two of those picks — Darius Philon and Isaac Rochell — had short stints with the Raiders in recent years.
Isaac Rochell recognizes his brother's military and athletic contributions to the Air Force
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 14, 2023
With that said, he does have a good history in the first few rounds — including drafting Keenan Allen in the third round in 2013 (his first draft as GM). He also snagged Kyzir White in the fourth round.
Justin Herbert, Derwin James, Mike Williams, and Joey Bosa highlight some of his first-round picks through the years.
What Picks do the Raiders Have in 2024?
With the 2024 NFL Draft just two months away, many are wondering what Tom Telesco and his staff will do with their nine picks.
As of Feb. 18, the Raiders are slated to pick at No. 13 overall. They have one pick in each of the first six rounds, and then three in the seventh round — though that could change over the next few months.
The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off with the first round on April 25 in Detroit, Michigan. The second and third rounds will take place on April 26, with the remaining four rounds occurring on April 27.
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