Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
Let’s go to the video of the Raiders draft room at about 6:40 PM Thursday.
After the Las Vegas Raiders picked Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, ESPN showed video of Raiders staffers clapping. No hugs.
After six quarterbacks were selected in the first dozen picks, the Raiders landed the six-foot, three-inch 243-pounder who grew up in the Napa, California area where the Raiders used to train.
Raiders fans at OMNIA Las Vegas nightclub react to the Bowers first-round pick:
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It was a mere two years ago when Steve Sisolak was Nevada’s governor, the Raiders had a different general manager and coach and Las Vegas was hosting the NFL Draft.
The NFL closed the roads near the Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard and the LVCVA tourism agency was hyping the event.
On Thursday, the NFL Draft began in Detroit, with the Raiders throwing an NFL Draft party at OMNIA nightclub on the Strip for club/suite holders and corporate partners.
The Raiders fans watched the consensus overall number one pick — Southern California’s Caleb Williams — walk the Draft stage for a greeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Last summer, Williams was at Pac-12 Media Days in Las Vegas playing pickleball.
ESPN was reporting 275,000 fans were at the Detroit Draft event.