Oakland Raiders setting themselves up for long-term success

The Oakland Raiders are building their roster up the right way, and have put themselves in position for long-term success.

Looking up and down the Oakland Raiders roster, you can see that there is a lot of young players who are going to play big roles for this team in 2019. In fact, the rookie class that the team brought in could bring as many as five starters alone, and their 2018 Draft class has already yielded some solid NFL talent.

Last year, first rounder Kolten Miller stepped in and became the team’s starting left tackle from Day One, and he will remain there even though the franchise added Trent Brown this offseason. In addition, fifth round pick Maurice Hurst proved to be a future Pro Bowl player, and guys like Arden Key, P.J. Hall, and Nick Nelson all showed that they will impact what this team does moving forward.

This past April, the Raiders held three first round picks, and instead of trading them away, they held on to them, bringing in three starting candidates. No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell is a guy they are going to build their edge rusher spot around, and running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram were both the best players at their position in the draft class.

In the second round, Trayvon Mullen is a guy who could start right away, and is a guy who, like Ferrell, comes to the Raiders with a championship pedigree. Fifth round wideout Hunter Renfrow, who is also a Clemson Tiger, could start in the slot.

Outside of the recent draft picks, the Raiders also have youth everywhere on this roster. The linebacker group has guys like Marquel Lee, Jason Cabinda, and Nicholas Morrow, while cornerback Gareon Conley, the team’s 2017 first round pick, looks like he is going to be an absolute stud in this Raiders secondary for years to come.

Gone are the days of aging players with bloated contracts, and even their veterans, guys like Rodney Hudson, Justin Ellis, and Gabe Jackson are not that old. This is a franchise that is setting themselves up for the long haul, and that has to be exciting for Raiders fans who have seen this team put together only one winning season since 2002.

Next offseason, the Raiders will see a lot of their veterans head towards free agency, and will have some work to do in that regard. However, they also hold two more first round picks, and with a bunch of cap space becoming free, look for them to continue to build this roster with more than one winning season in mind.