ESPN’s Todd McShay released his second mock draft on Thursday, and he likes the Oakland Raiders drafting two members of the Alabama Crimson Tide in round one.
As the calendar turns to February, and the Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror, it is time to get serious about who the Oakland Raiders will be picking with their three first round picks this April. Oakland brought in former draft analyst Mike Mayock to be their new general manager, and he has already been hard at work scouting, as he has more draft capital than any other GM in the league.
One of the bigger experts in terms of the NFL Draft is Todd McShay, who has seemingly been covering the event forever. McShay has recently started putting out his annual mock drafts, and in v2.0 (Subscription Required), he had the Raiders going after two of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s bigger stars in the first round.
With the No. 4 overall pick in round one, McShay likes the Raiders to call on Quinnen Williams, a devastatingly talented defensive tackle. Williams is considered by many to be the best overall player in the draft class, and would be an interesting pick, as the Raiders need more help in other areas.
At No. 24, McShay has the Raiders taking Iowa tight end Noah Fant, who could fill the role left vacant if Jared Cook leaves via free agency. The No. 24 pick is the one the Raiders got from the Chicago Bears when they traded away generational talent Khalil Mack this past Summer.
Finally, McShay likes Oakland to tab Alabama running back Josh Jacobs with the No. 27 overall pick, the selection they got from the Dallas Cowboys for Amari Cooper. Jacobs is a guy who could come in and be the feature back for the Raiders right away, and has slowly etched his name in first round consideration leading into the combine.
These are certainly interesting picks, and very talented players, but do they really fill the Raiders most pressing needs? If Oakland passes on an edge rusher at No. 4, I would be shocked, but Mayock may choose to go with the best player available, and if Williams is available after the first three selections, he will be very hard to pass up.