Oakland Raiders 7-Round Mock Draft

Round 6 – 208th Overall

Five rounds in, here is the haul so far –Raekwon McMillan, Sidney Jones, Jaleel Johnson, Corn Elder and Julie’n Davenport. We’ve addressed a good chunk of the needs on defense, while also finding an athletic tackle with size for the offensive line.

Heading into the sixth round, an outside linebacker or safety would be ideal. But a running back, wide receiver or even a tight end could be the pick as well.

The pick: Dylan Cole, LB, Missouri State.

Dylan Cole is a small school kid with big upside thanks to his athleticism. He lit up his Pro Day with a 4.54 second 40-yard dash, 32 reps on the bench press and a 6.82 3-cone drill. He had a big day across the board, and there were several NFL teams there to witness it.

Cole is listed at 6’0″ 239 pounds, which is nearly identical to Raekown. So he has the needed size to play the position, and is obviously going to be athletic enough to chase down running backs on the outside.

The level of competition he faced, like all small school players, is a concern. It’ll be a big leap to the NFL, so expect a rough transition period for him.

Other players considered: Artavis Scott, Ben Gedeon, Aaron Jones, Eric Saubert, K.D. Cannon, Keionta Davis, Lorenzo Jerome.

Aaron Jones was tempting, but at 5’9″, I don’t see McKenzie adding another back in a similar mode of the two rookie dynamos of 2016.

Eric Saubert is a sleeper tight end, but with Jared Cook on board and Gabe Holmes signing his tender, it’s hard to justify carrying that many tight ends.

So that is ultimately what led to Cole being the pick. In the sixth round, he’s exactly the type of player you take a flier on. Someone who if they don’t pan out, no harm done. And if they do pan out, especially with this much athleticism, they could turn into quite the player.