The Oakland Raiders hold three first round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, and in our latest 2019 NFL mock draft, they choose to fill some big holes.
The 2019 NFL Draft will take place later this month, so expect the whole football landscape to be spending the next few weeks preparing for a three-day event that could really reshape their franchise. When it comes to the Oakland Raiders, they hold three first round picks, and after a stellar offseason so far, they could be the final pieces to the puzzle.
Let us take a look at our latest full first round 2019 NFL mock draft
1. Arizona Cardinals Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
Over the past five seasons, the No. 1 overall pick has been a quarterback three times. The other two times, it was a defensive end. Defensive ends are very valuable to teams, and with the recent rumors that the New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers reached out for a potential trade for Josh Rosen, you’d think the Cardinals are going to take Murray. While it looks like Rosen will not play in Arizona next year, just remember, no trade has been finalized.
With the big signings on defense during free agency, all signs point to the Cardinals drafting Nick Bosa. Coach Vance Joseph needs players for his 3-4 defensive front. Terrell Suggs was brought in to play outside linebacker opposite of Chandler Jones, and Hicks to play inside linebacker opposite of Haason Reddick. Darius Philon can play the nose, and Robert Nkemdiche the five technique. Bosa will come in around 275 pounds, and be the perfect fit as the other five technique DE.
2. San Francisco 49ers Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama
This is a very interesting pick. If Kyler Murray doesn’t go No.1 overall, then the San Francisco 49ers will hold the most valuable pick of the draft. If the Niners don’t trade out, most might think the Niners will take a pass rusher. However, since our last mock draft, the Niners picked up options for Dekoda Watson & Cassius Marsh, as well as traded for Dee Ford. All of these pass rushers will primarily play the weakside DE in Robert Saleh’s 43 defense. On the opposite side of them, at strongside DE, will be Soloman Thomas.
Because of the signing of those players, the Niners end up taking Quinnen Williams. The Niners already have DeForrest Buckner & Arik Armstead in the middle of there defense, but Armstead hasn’t been all that great. Fill in Alabama’s Williams, and the Niners might have the best pass rushing trio in the NFL with Williams, Buckner, & Dee Ford.
3. New York Jets Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
Josh Allen looks nice on the board here. However, the Jets signed Henry Anderson, Steve McLendon, Brandon Copeland, all defensive linemen. Their defensive front is loaded, so they can now shift focus to their second biggest need coming into the offseason, to protect franchise quarterback Sam Darnold.
Jonah Williams is the best offensive linemen in this year’s draft, and he has all-pro potential. The New York Jets have shown interest in Jonah, as they met with him during the combine. Williams only gave up five sacks over his four years at Alabama, and he should be able to anchor that offensive line for a very long time.
4. Oakland Raiders Josh Allen, DE, Kentucky
The Raiders most significant need is a pass rusher. In our last mock draft, we had Josh Allen being selected by the San Francisco 49ers. This time around, however, we believe they take Quinnen Williams, which leaves the Raiders to choose Allen at No.4. Allen had 17 sacks last year, so getting to the quarterback is kind of his thing.
The Raiders have Arden Key, the third round LSU DE, but Key has his limitations. He only weighs 235 pounds, so he will primarily line up on the weak side of the defense. Allen, on the other hand, weighs 265 pounds and can play either the weak or strong side. This will be essential for the Raiders as Paul Guenther lines his players up all over the field.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
With the recent loss of Kwon Alexander & Adarius Taylor, you can make a case for Devin White here. However, the Buccaneers did sign inside linebackers Deone Bucannon and Kevin Minter to one-year deals. At No. 5, the Buccaneers will take the most freakish player in the draft, Montez Sweat. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, which set a new record for his position. He is very quick off the line of scrimmage and had 11 sacks last year. Sweat has a lot of room to still grow.