Raiders were reportedly a 'coin toss' away from not drafting Georgia star Brock Bowers

Actually flipping a coin over a potential franchise-changing decision sounds silly, but it was probably just a figure of speech, and the Raiders coach meant that it was a very, very close call between Bowers and Arnold. 

However, the Raiders are denying it altogether. 

“Yeah, I can’t confirm that at all,” Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly said, via Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com. “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.”

That's a nice save because no first-round pick wants to hear that they weren't the definite top choice, or just won a coin toss. 

I think the most interesting part about all of this is that nobody could have projected Bowers would land in Vegas considering they had many needs ahead of the tight end position -- including at cornerback. 

Bowers even admitted he was surprised when the Raiders selected him since he had limited contact with them during the pre-draft process. 

Bowers was also expected to go off the draft board way before pick No. 13, so when he was still there with the Raiders on the clock, they had to have found it difficult to pass on the elite pass-catcher, even if that wasn't a priority need for them. 

But if the Raiders' decision to draft Bowers ultimately did come down to a "coin flip," then they're lucky it landed on him. 

“Yeah, I think my wife could watch the tape on Brock and be excited about him,” Kelly said. “He’s a really good football player and was highly productive in college. His position is tight end, but we saw him as a playmaker and offensive weapon.”