Peter King joins praise of Raiders 2014 draft moves

Sep 5, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; American sportswriter Peter King walks off the field following the game between the Baltimore Ravens against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Ravens 49-27. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With 24 hours to cool down and settle the praise of the Oakland Raiders 2014 NFL Draft class is still blazing hot as those in the media can not stop fawning about what has been the most lauded Raiders draft in the 00’s with several media outlets handing out “A” grades for Reggie McKenzie and the Oakland front office, including Sports Illustrated who all like the initial picks of Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson in addition to the back end picks of Keith McGill, Justin Ellis and more.

Peter King joined that praise this morning in his lengthy post-NFL Draft MMQB column, taking time in his Ten Things I Think I Think to make the claim that he believes the Raiders got “two of the 10 best players in the draft,” praising McKenzie even though he thinks that Reggie should have got more help on the offensive line for the future than just Gabe Jackson.

From MMQB:

"6. I think Oakland GM Reggie McKenzie might have gotten two of the 10 best players in this draft, when history looks at it. Buffalo pass rusher Khalil Mack (who didn’t look too thrilled to be a Raider, by the way) and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr are going to be franchise cornerstones. The Carr part, of course, assumes that he can be protected, and McKenzie could have gotten more O-line help with his eight picks than a single guard, third-rounder Gabe Jackson of Mississippi State."

Love for Carr as a prospect has been up and down, but it isn’t shocking to see King believing that the Fresno State prospect with former #1 overall pick bloodlines and eye popping numbers in all three of his college seasons as a full-time starter could be a franchise cornerstone. For now the Raiders front office will take some rare praise, but history’s memory of the 2014 Draft will be determined on the field and not on blogs/columns. If the Raiders rookies will continue to earn praise, that will begin by showing their potential on the field soon enough.