Las Vegas Raiders 2019 draft class to be even more impactful in 2020
By Brad Weiss
First Round
Starting in the first round, Mayock used his three picks on Clemson edge rusher Clelin Ferrell, Alabama running back Josh Jacobs, and Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram. While Ferrell took a while to get started, he finished strong, and though Abram only played one game, it is clear he has what it takes to be a standout safety at the NFL level.
The crown jewel of the first round, obviously, was Jacobs, who should have easily taken home the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award, which went to Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. Jacobs put together a record-breaking rookie season, rushing for over 1,100 yards, and becoming the feature back this team had been missing.
Entering 2020, you can expect even more from Jacobs, as he had to battle through a shoulder injury for most of the season, and that affected his ability to play a bigger role in the passing game. He is one of the more exciting young players we have seen on this franchise in a long time, and should be a perennial 1,000-yard rusher.
Ferrell was asked to play inside early in the 2019 season, and while fans will point to Josh Allen‘s statistics, as he was passed over for Ferrell in the draft, expect the young man out of Clemson to be much better in 2020. He already stated he is going to look like a new man when he comes back next season, and teamed with Maxx Crosby, this duo is going to be good for a long time.
Finally we come to Abram, who was the star of HBO Hard Knocks, and then looked like a beast on the defensive side of the ball in Week 1. Unfortunately, he also blew out his shoulder in that win against the Denver Broncos, but in Year 2, expect him to be the cornerstone of the Raiders defensive backfield.