Staff predictions for Oakland Raiders first-round picks in 2019
By Brad Weiss
Pete’s Picks
Round 1, Pick No. 3- Nick Bosa, Ohio State or Ed Oliver, Houston
As the draft order stands today, the Oakland Raiders would pick third, finding themselves behind the San Francisco 49ers. Best case scenario (and still possible) would be for the Raiders to eventually rack enough losses for the #1 pick, and in that situation Gruden should not hesitate to take Nick Bosa out of Ohio State. If the latter remains untrue, then at second overall Ed Oliver is the next best option.
An edge rusher / pass rusher has become as vital to the defense as a quarterback is for the offense, and either two of the aforementioned players would be big contributors to Gruden’s defensive rebuild. The Raiders have been gifted a great opportunity to find talent with the potential to fill the Mack void, so Oakland can’t afford to mess up with their first pick.
Round 1, Pick No. 23- Devin Bush, Michigan
Current order has the Raiders next draft selection around 23nd overall (via Dallas). Gruden should next be looking to target a positional void that has haunted Oakland for as long as one can remember, and thats the linebacker position. He’s yet to declare, but Devin Bush out of Michigan would be a great pick.
Leading Michigan in tackles for the past two years and recently named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year, Bush would be another great addition to the younger overhaul on the defensive side of the ball. If he’s still on the board come Oakland’s time to select, they should pull the trigger.
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Round 1, Pick No. 26- AJ Brown, Ole Miss
Oakland went all in on defense for the first two picks, now for their final pick. AJ Brown out of Ole Miss was a big weapon and has pretty good athleticism. He has the potential to be a Top-20 talent type of pick, but if the Raiders are able to snag him towards the end of the first round that’d be a win for the Silver and Black.
As it stands now the Raiders are struggling with the receivers at their disposal, and the effect has been felt by Derek Carr. Draft Brown to give the receiving unit a boost of upside and look to go offense with the final pick of the first round.