Defensive end
The Raiders have been very active this offseason, but they have yet to address their most pressing need which is at defensive end. At the moment Oakland only has two on the roster those being Arden Key and newly acquired Josh Mauro. It goes without saying that this has to be fixed and at the moment it appears the front office is confident they can solve it in the draft.
However, there are a couple of issues that could occur with this philosophy. For starters, the notion of making one or two rookies and a second-year player in Arden Key as the primary pass rusher doesn’t seem like a recipe for success. That is a ton of pressure to put on young players, and since the Raiders want to compete this season, it’s hard to comprehend why there are willing to take such a risk.
Secondly, the Raiders are in a tricky spot when it comes to opportunities to acquire edge rushers despite having three first round picks. I know that sounds crazy, but let me lay out the scenario. At the moment the Raiders are at #4, and if there is no movement in front of them, there is a high chance the top guys like Nick Bosa and Josh Allen are gone.
If that happens, which next pass rusher is worth taking?
I personally would have no problem going after Brian Burns, but he isn’t a perfect system fit so I doubt Oakland would do that at #4. Now you’re in a position where you’d have to reach for someone, wait until #24, or trade back up which will cost high draft capital. If they do wait, players like Montez Sweat, Brian Burns, Rashan Gary, and Clelin Ferrell most likely aren’t making it to #24. Then you’re looking at someone like Jachi Polite who’s been terrible this entire draft process and Chase Winovich who is a solid player but probably not a top 35 prospect.
This is just one scenario, but also a very likely one, so it shocks me that the Raiders have placed everything in the draft when it comes to this position.