With free agency set to officially kick off on Wednesday, for now, it’s time for one more mock draft before the Las Vegas Raiders bring in some veterans.
The NFL’s legal tampering period begins today at 12pm EST but before the Las Vegas Raiders start opening up their checkbook, it’s time for one more pre-free agency mock draft. Of course, the team’s needs will change in the coming days, but taking one more look at how the draft could play out can shine some light into the Raiders’ decision-making on the open market.
But before I dive into the picks, there are a few house-keeping items to address.
To execute this exercise, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft machine. All selections made by the other 31 teams are subject to the site’s simulator. For the early selections, I’ll explain who was and wasn’t on the board at the time of the pick, as well as my rationale for each selection.
The draft order is as is, meaning no trades were made. Personally, I don’t like assuming trades in mock drafts because I feel that adds more assumptions to an already presumptuous process. Other people might start wheeling and dealing with their predictions, but that’s just not my style and that’s the beauty of being the author, I get to make the rules!
I’m assuming all pending free agents will not be back. Most notably, this means Karl Joseph and Daryl Worley are out of the equation, altering the perceived priority of Las Vegas’ team needs. After free agency, I’ll be back with another mock draft and adjust each selection accordingly.
Now that all that is out-of-the-way, it’s time for the picks!