With the calendar changing to April, we take a look at who the experts have the Oakland Raiders drafting in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Oakland Raiders hold three first round picks this April, as they look to continue to revamp this roster heading into next season. Oakland has been very active since the new league year began earlier this month, bringing in some elite talent on both sides of the ball.
As the calendar makes it’s move towards April, it is officially mock draft season, and the Raiders have certainly been the talk of the town. Experts have this team doing everything from trading up, to trading down, grabbing a quarterback, and utilizing their picks on the defensive side of the ball.
It is anybody’s guess as to what will happen when the Raiders are officially on the clock next month, but you can believe that this front office will do whatever it takes to put the team in position to succeed in 2019. They have not messed around since bringing in Mike Mayock as their general manager, and he looks to be the perfect compliment to head coach Jon Gruden.
Here is a quick look at some mock drafts, and where the experts feel the Raiders will go with their three first round picks this April.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Chad Reuter’s latest 2019 NFL mock draft over at NFL.com is a bit of a head-scratcher, as it has the Raiders trading up for a quarterback, but not Kyler Murray. In his mock, Oakland moves up to No. 2 to get Drew Lock, and finish their first round by selecting Clelin Ferrell at 24, and Noah Fant at 27. While the Lock pick is whacky, getting Ferrell and Fant late is nice.
Jared Dubin, CBSSports.com
Over at CBS Sports, Jared Dubin put together his latest NFL Mock Draft, and he has the Raiders staying put at No. 4 overall. With that selection, Oakland takes Alabama’s Quinnen Williams, who many believe is the best player in the draft. From there, they close their first round with A.J. Brown (24), and Greedy Williams (27).
Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report released a mock draft on Thursday, and in it, Kristopher Knox likes the Silver and Black to bolster the pass rush with their first selection at No. 4. This mock has the team grabbing Josh Allen from Kentucky with the fourth pick, before selecting Alabama running back Josh Jacobs at No. 24, and Noah Fant once again at No. 27.
Luke Easterling, NFL Draft Wire (USAToday)
Luke Easterling is another expert who likes the Raiders to take Williams from Alabama at No. 4, as the Raiders continue to get better up front on defense. In his latest mock draft, Easterling has the Raiders making some moves after the No. 4 pick, trading up to No. 19 with the Tennessee Titans to get LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, before selecting Clelin Ferrell at No. 25 with the Philadelphia Eagles pick.
Kalyn Kahler, Sports Illustrated
Kalyn Kahler dropped a mock draft on Wednesday, and in it, the Oakland Raiders select Drew Lock at No. 4, which is starting to look like a trend. While I do not agree with the pick, it has seemed to pick up some steam as of late, which tends to happen as we get closer to the draft. With their last two picks in round one, Oakland takes Josh Jacobs at No. 24, and gets their edge rusher at No. 27 in Jaylon Ferguson.
As is the case every year, these mock drafts are almost never right, and you can see by the amount of differences that the Raiders could go in a number of different directions. One thing is for sure, they are doing their due diligence with all potential draft picks, which is what they need to do with so much draft capital heading into April.