Oakland Raiders 2018 NFL Draft: 5 front-seven players to take in first round

In terms of a big-bodied defensive tackle, there may not be a better prospect in this draft than Vita Vea out of Washington. He leaves school a year early after being a staple of the Huskies defense for Chris Petersen in the Pac-12. Though his draft stock has dipped a tad in 2017, he could be in play for the Raiders should they move back and grab him in the teens, maybe even early 20s.

Taking Vea at No. 10 could be a bit of a reach for the Raiders, but could be justified if Reggie McKenzie sees him as his guy. That being said, wouldn’t it better serve the Raiders to move back to No. 15 in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, draft Vea there and get the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2019 while they move up to get their next franchise quarterback?

Vea is 6-foot-5, 340 pounds. He leaves Seattle with 99 career tackles (65 solo, 34 assists), 15.0 tackles for a loss of yardage, 9.5 quarterback sacks, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Frankly, Vea could have gone pro after his true sophomore year with the Huskies. He was that good and physically capable of making the leap to the pros if he were eligible.

However, the Huskies and the down year for the Pac-12 in general discounts Vea and the best players in that conference to a degree. If the Raiders are on board with moving back in a trade with a quarterback desperate team, Vea would be an immensely valuable pick for the Raiders in the teens or early 20s. He was the Pac-12’s 2017 Defensive Player of the Year!