5 things Raiders fans should be thankful for in 2018

By Brad Weiss | Nov 15, 2018

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 24: Arden Key #99 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after he sacked the quarterback against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

The Draft Picks

Though they had to trade away Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper to get them, the Raiders added two first round picks in 2019, and do still have their own. Their own pick figures to be the No. 1 overall selection next April, so they have the ability to really improve their roster with some young talent.

The Bears are playing really well this season, so the pick they got for Mack will be late in round one, but the one they got from the Dallas Cowboys for Cooper should be towards the middle of the first round. In 2020, the Raiders will also have multiple first round picks, as they pick twice, so Gruden and company need to hit a home run with these five first rounders over the next two years.

Losing players like Mack and Cooper is extremely difficult to come back from, especially Mack, who is a generational talent. If the Raiders are going to be contenders in the AFC West, likely not until they get to Vegas, these next two draft classes have to be elite, or else they basically gave away one of the best players in franchise history for nothing.

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