Literal or metaphorical, the Las Vegas Raiders had a coin-flip call with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Vegas selected tight end Brock Bowers with the pick, but apparently, the decision was close.
According to Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce told him it was a coin flip between Arnold and Bowers at No. 13.
"(The Lions) knew that the Raiders, there was a possibility that they took me," Arnold told The Next Round podcast. "And, actually, the Raiders coach, they called me after the draft, they were like, 'We actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers. It landed on him.'"
Perhaps Pierce -- we assume by "the Raiders coach" Arnold meant Pierce -- was figuratively using the phrase "coin toss" to imply that there was a debate over the two players and it was a close call in the Vegas draft room.
Raiders assistant GM Champ Kelly was asked about Arnold's comment on Wednesday.
"I can't confirm that at all," he said. "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."
"Can't confirm" isn't exactly "lol, no way," but let's presume the Raiders under new general manager Tom Telesco didn't literally leave the team's future up to a flip's fate -- or maybe he used Harvey Dent's original two-headed coin.
Coin or no coin, the Raiders selected Bowers to add another weapon to a passing offense that includes Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. One of the draft's top talents, Vegas will use Bowers as a multifaceted weapon during this rookie campaign.
"(His) position is tight end, but we saw him as a playmaker," Kelly said on Wednesday. "He is going to be a fun piece to have. We'll see what defenses deploy against him when he is on the field."
Kelly's comment explains how Vegas views Bowers and 2023 second-round tight end Michael Mayer as complementary pieces who could see plenty of time together in Luke Getsy's offense.
