Oakland Raiders 2018 NFL Draft: 5 skill position players to target in first round
By John Buhler
There are essentially two wide receivers entering the draft that are locks to go in the first round, probably inside the top 15. The first one we will address is Alabama Crimson Tide junior wide receiver Calvin Ridley. He projects to go somewhere in the No. 10 to No. 15 range.
Ridley looks to be the next great Alabama wide receiver that played for Nick Saban. He’ll be the third wideout to go in the first round that played for Saban after Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons and Amari Cooper of the Raiders. Ridley is more of a speed guy at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, but was instrumental in the Crimson Tide’s last two national championships in 2015 and 2017.
In three years at Tuscaloosa, Ridley had 224 career receptions for 2,781 yards and 19 touchdowns. He went over 1,000 receiving yards in his freshman campaign in 2015. Ridley was essentially one grab away from doing that in 2017. He will have to adapt his game to have staying power in the league, but should be able to get by on athleticism alone early in his career.
Taking Ridley at No. 9 or No. 10 would be a reach for the Raiders. However if they move back to No. 15 in a trade with a team like the Arizona Cardinals, this would be a wise selection for the Raiders. Ridley plays more like Cooper than Michael Crabtree, but could be an impact player in the Oakland offense as a rookie. Landing him and a future pick would be quite the haul for general manager Reggie McKenzie.