Will the Oakland Raiders trade away the No. 4 overall pick in 2019?
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders hold three first round picks this April, and they may decide it is best for their long-term growth to trade away their first one at No. 4.
When it comes time for the 2019 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders will hold three first round draft picks, with their first coming in at No. 4 overall. The Raiders earned this pick by winning only four games this past season, and unless they revamp this roster in a big way this offseason, they could be headed towards another rough campaign.
Luckily for the Raiders, they do have three first round picks, as well as a some good cap space. They have a legitimate opportunity to improve this roster this offseason, as they begin their quest to put a competitive team on the field in 2019 and beyond.
When it comes to the No. 4 overall pick, the Raiders have been mocked in recent mock drafts as moving that pick, trading down with some of the teams looking for a franchise quarterback. In this draft class, guys like Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray, and Drew Lock could go in the top-10, and there are no shortage of teams that need an arm.
In the top-10 alone, Oakland could see the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, and even the Denver Broncos try to move up into that No. 4 spot. In addition, teams like Cincinnati, Miami, and Washington all pick within the top-15, and they all could use a reset at the quarterback position as well.
The Bengals do still have Andy Dalton, and the Broncos did just trade for Joe Flacco, but those are not long-term solutions at the position. Miami has a new head coach in Brian Flores, but are rumored to be waiting until the 2020 Draft to grab a quarterback, as that class is loaded with guys like Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jake Fromm to name a few.
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Of course, the Raiders could decide to hang on to the No. 4 pick, depending on what the teams do in front of them. There are a handful of teams that are starving for a franchise quarterback, and with the first four teams picking not needing one, there should be a lot of movement at the top this April.