The Raiders had success in the second round in 2014, selecting Derek Carr, but it has been downhill since, and those picks are dropping like flies.
During their final preseason game, the Oakland Raiders sat most of the players who were pretty much guaranteed a roster spot on Saturday. For those who played against the Seattle Seahawks, they cannot be sleeping good tonight, as tomorrow could spell the end of their time in the Silver and Black.
When it comes to Mario Edwards Jr., he was supposed to be a building block on this defense when the team took him in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. However, he has had to battle injuries throughout his time with the Raiders, and his time in the organization could be coming to an end.
Edwards is reportedly being shopped by the Raiders, as there is no room for him on their revamped defensive line. In fact, the defensive line in Oakland should actually be a strength for the team this season, after adding rookies PJ Hall and Maurice Hurst Jr., and seeing the improvements from guys like Fadol Brown and Shilique Calhoun.
If Edwards is shown the door, he would be just the latest in a string of Reggie McKenzie second round picks that have left the team since last season. Menelik Watson (2013), Jihad Ward (2016), and Obi Melifonwu (2017) are no longer with Oakland, leaving only Derek Carr (2014) and PJ Hall (2018) on the current roster.
The Raiders do not have time to worry about where guys were drafted, as the goal is to get this team in place to rebound from their six-win season a year ago. When it comes to head coach Jon Gruden, he is going to only go with the players he feels can help this team, and for Edwards, he seems to be the odd man out this summer.