Raiders flipped a coin to draft Brock Bowers in first round, per cornerback they didn't select

Apr 26, 2024; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers speaks to the media at Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, NV. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders did something no team had done for nearly five decades at the 2024 NFL Draft. They used top 40 draft picks on tight ends in back-to-back years.

The Raiders bolstered their offense by drafting Georgia star Brock Bowers with the 13th pick of the first round, just one year after taking Notre Dame stud Michael Mayer with their first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. It was a curious decision — one that came down to a coin toss if they player they didn’t select is telling it right.

Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold would have filled a hole in the Las Vegas secondary. Instead, he and the rest of 2024’s defensive back class languished on an offense-heavy board, falling to the 24th pick before the Detroit Lions traded up to land him. But Arnold said there was a 50-50 chance he’d be headed to Nevada instead of Michigan.

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

“Actually the Raiders coach, they called me after the draft, and they were like, ‘We actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers. It landed on him.’ I was like, ‘Oh wow,'” Arnold said on The Next Round podcast. Of course, that’s just a figure of speech, but when general manager Tom Telesco was asked about Arnold’s account, he could neither confirm nor deny it.

Kelly “can't confirm” that there was an actual coin flip at pick 13 for Brock Bowers. Terrion Arnold said that Antonio Pierce told him after the draft that that's what happened.
Kelly: “We're excited to get Brock here.”

— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) May 8, 2024

In the end, Detroit got the cornerback help it desperately needs. Las Vegas added a dynamic playmaker who can boost Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell or whomever is taking snaps for the team next season. Only time will tell whether the Raiders regret their coin flip decision — even if no coin was actually used in the process.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Raiders flipped a coin to draft Brock Bowers in first round, per cornerback they didn’t select