Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders face a ton of pressure to ace their early draft picks, but finding gems in the later rounds can too be a huge game changer.
The discussion around the Oakland Raiders draft has been heavily centered around their four top 35 picks and rightfully so. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are in a position where they need to hit on a majority of those picks especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, there are still picks beyond number 35 that the Raiders can use to add depth and skill to this roster.
The likelihood of finding a star in the later round is, of course, lower because there are obvious reasons as to why those players are taken where they are. Though we’ve seen the best teams adopt the idea of finding what these late round guys do well and emphasizing those instead of harping on what they lack.
When the NFL Network released its top 100 players of 2018, 12 of them were taken in day 3 or undrafted. Lists like this aren’t the end all be all, but it is proof that there are talented players to be had. And there are plenty more who are not necessarily elite but are capable starters or valued rotation players.
Here are a few prospects I think can add value to the Oakland roster on Day 3 of the draft.