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There are plenty of mock drafts out there in addition to plenty of members of Raider Nation who have pegged Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei as Oakland’s man with the third overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. If that is to come to be then it might be at a considerable risk to both the Raiders and Lotulelei himself.

It was reported today that Lotulelei will not be permitted to workout at the NFL Scouting Combine after an echocardiogram revealed a heart condition that will require more testing. This could be a huge red flag not only for the Raiders but for any of the other teams that saw Lotulelei as a top 5 pick as many draft experts have predicted.

As of now Lotulelei is still planning to participate in Utah’s pro day on March 20^th but that cannot be confirmed until more testing is completed. An ESPN report provides the worst case scenario in which Lotulelei is revealed to have a chronic condition that would indicate heart damage. Something of that sort would surely put his playing career at risk if for no other reason than a NFL team would be unwilling to commit a contract to a player that has a great health risk.

For Oakland this is yet another top prospect on their board with considerable medical risks. Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones is considering by some to be the top prospect in the draft and a very possible selection for the Raiders at third overall. However Jones opted not to workout at the combine adding to the long term concerns over his spinal condition.

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No matter the draft analyst most everyone has the Oakland Raiders getting into the trenches with the third overall pick in 2013 NFL Draft.  Whether its Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei or Texas A&M pass rusher Damontre Moore there is no doubt the Raiders will need to find talent on the D-line given the number of departures expected from that very unit.

However for the most part the names we’ve seen the Raiders associated with most often are the aforementioned Lotulelei and Moore. At least that was the case until today when Mike Mayock tabbed Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd as Oakland’s man with their top pick in 2013.

Jerry McDonald reports the news after participating in a national conference call with the NFL Network’s draft expert.

Floyd is widely considered a first round talent with top 10 potential. But until now his name has not popped up inside the top 3 of many mock drafts. With the combine set to commence this week you can expect plenty of mock shuffling as players will see their stock rise and fall on the strength of the drills and interviews conducted in Indianapolis.

For whatever it’s worth Mayock is already calling A&M’s Moore overrated and unfit to be taken in the top 10. Keep in mind it was Mayock who had the Raiders going with Darrius Heyward-Bey as part of his mock draft back in ’09 so maybe he’s onto something here again.

Of course this time around there is no real way to know how the Raiders will draft as this is the first time Reggie McKenzie will be picking in the first round. And naturally we’ve got to wait until the next week for all the combine dust to settle before the real season of mocking begins.

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The weekly FanSided NFL Mock Draft continues to roll along. This week the only difference for the Raiders is that they’ve slid one spot back to 4^th overall. But I’ll take that in a draft with no clear cut #1 talent. I’ll also take more wins no matter how they come or at what expense it means to Oakland’s draft status.

While they are one spot down from the previous week the FS mockers still have Oakland locked in on Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.

Given all the holes on the Raiders roster it would not be shocking to see them go in any direction on draft day including trading their top pick to gain more later. In fact that seems to be the popular opinion around Raider Nation these days.

But we’re still months away from any real draft talk. In fact, if Lotulelei’s (wait for it) ‘Star’ keeps rising the way many predict then he could be the first to come off the board in April. With the Chiefs slated to pick first that’s not too far of a reach considering all the D-lineman they’ve drafted in recent years.