Oakland Raiders Trade Deadline Ideas
Jets DT Sheldon Richardson for a 1st Round Pick.
This was proposed by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus. Per Monson:
"The Raiders badly miss Mario Edwards Jr. this season in the middle of that defense. It’s left them with no interior threat, and teams can more effectively deal with Khalil Mack when he is the sole source of disruption on the line."
Monson continued:
"They could get a boost with Aldon Smith’s return if he is reinstated by the league, but that would just give them a second edge presence, leaving the Raiders still with nothing inside. Richardson can destroy the middle of offensive lines in both the run and pass game, and could provide the key to getting that Oakland defense to play up to the sum of its parts, not below that level."
With Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams also on the Jets defensive line, Richardson becomes an expendable asset.
Richardson earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2014 and is one of the best, young interior defensive linemen in the league. He’ll be 26 at the end of November and is under contract through 2017. It’s not unreasonable to think he can be a very good player for the next six or seven seasons.
This would give the Raiders an elite interior presence who can affect games as a pass rusher and a run stopper. The front seven with Sheldon, Khalil, Irvin, Mario Edwards Jr. and Aldon Smith could be filthy.
Ideally, trading a second round pick would the way to go, but that might not be enough for the Jets to do it. If push comes to shove, I’d be okay with McKenzie trading a 1st for Richardson. It’s a steep price and I’m generally against trading high picks, but picking in the late 20’s, you’d be very fortunate to land a player of Richardson’s caliber in that range.
While similar things can be said for Kawann Short, the difference is the two years in age. Getting an extra two seasons of Richardson in his prime makes him the ideal trade target between the two.
Conclusion: Try to trade a second-round pick instead, but a first is okay if necessary.