The Athletic debuted their beat writer mock draft and predicted who the Las Vegas Raiders would select with their two first round draft picks.
Most mock drafts are the work of one expert but The Athletic debuted a new format wherein they have the NFL team’s beat writer predict who their team would select and the beat writers from that university would provide some additional analysis on the player and their potential fit in their new home.
In the case of the Las Vegas Raiders the beat writer is of course Vic Tafur who most of Raider Nation is quite familiar with since his days with the San Francisco Chronicle. Tafur is known for his realist approach to the team and is seen as a source of truth and reason among the hot-take artists currently populating the sports landscape.
The Athletic does not specify whether or not the predictions they make come with any sort of inside information but it is more fun if you suspend your disbelief and pretend that these are in fact the selections teams will be making.