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Oakland Raiders NFL Draft: Does Reggie have a type?

By Nick Hjeltness

Sep 30, 2014; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie at a press conference to introduce Tony Sparano (not pictured) as Raiders interim coach at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2014; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie at a press conference to introduce Tony Sparano (not pictured) as Raiders interim coach at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie (left) and owner Mark Davis (right) before the game against the Buffalo Bills at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie (left) and owner Mark Davis (right) before the game against the Buffalo Bills at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Summary

There’s obviously a lot to consider when it comes to the NFL Draft, and this is only a very small fraction of what actual teams do. It’s an incredibly thorough process, and we didn’t even get to scheme fit as a factor, which is obviously of major importance.

Decker and Ragland were the two players who check all of the boxes – every single one.

With Ragland, while I think he’s a quality player, he is better suited in a 3-4 and has coverage limitations that restrict him to being more than a 2-down player. So I don’t think he’d be the pick, at least not at 14th overall.

Decker, I can absolutely see happening. He’d slide in immediately at right tackle, and has potential to kick over to the left side after Donald Penn leaves. Or of course, Oakland could revisit the LT situation in the future, and keep Decker at RT.

But the player I kept coming back to is William Jackson. He checks the majority of the boxes as far as thresholds go. He was only 1 lb. below weight and 2″ below the broad jump, and met the minimum everywhere else.

Jackson fits the lengthy, athletic mold of CB’s that McKenzie, Del Rio and Norton Jr. covet. Look at Sean Smith, David Amerson, Aqib Talib, Richard Sherman and others that have played on their defenses.

So using this process to figure out who the pick is, I think it’s Decker or Jackson. But again, there is a lot more to account for than just this, but strictly looking at history and thresholds, those are the two names that stand out.

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