Las Vegas Raiders: 2020 NFL Draft Day 2 Grade
Day two of the 2020 NFL Draft is complete, and the Las Vegas Raiders came away with new pieces on offense and defense, making three picks.
The Las Vegas Raiders entered day two of the 2020 NFL draft without a second-round selection as that pick was sent to the Chicago Bears during the Khalil Mack trade. Trading up in the draft prior to their three third-round picks was certainly on the table with the draft capital they had to their disposal but Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock stayed put and let the board come to them.
Despite adding Henry Ruggs III in the first round, the Raiders weren’t done there — as they scooped up two more pieces to incorporate within Gruden’s offense. With their final pick in the third round, they took a versatile defender who comes out of the University of Clemson — the fourth player in the last two years the Raiders have added from Death Valley.
The selections
- Round 3, Pick No. 80: Lynn Bowden Jr., RB/WR, Kentucky
- Round 3, Pick No. 81: Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina
- Round 3, Pick No. 100: Tanner Muse, S, Clemson
Selecting Bowden with the 80th overall pick wasn’t all that surprising based on his intricate skillset to lineup all over the offense but it was somewhat early compared to where most draft experts had him ranked. With Bowden not having an exact position, his evaluation was all over the map throughout the pre-draft process.
However, after the draft concluded on day two, Mike Mayock told the media in a zoom call that they view Bowden as a running back first but will use him in a variety of ways.
Adding Edwards with the 81st overall pick provides the Raiders with a physical wide receiver who can play along the perimeter. He displays a similar skillset to his former South Carolina teammate Deebo Samuel, who put together a quality rookie season using his big body to box out defenders on 50/50 catches, while also doing damage after the catch, picking up extra yards with the ball in his hands.
Edwards is projected to slot in underneath Ruggs, Tyrell Willams and Hunter Renfrow on the depth chart as a viable x receiving option.
Switching over to the defensive side of the ball for the 100th overall pick, the Raiders went fishing in a familiar pond they had good luck with last season, taking another Clemson product.
Muse, who played safety and linebacker for the Tigers could serve multiple positions for Paul Guenther’s revamped defense. Mayock mentioned to reporters after round three, he expects Muse to be a core special team player and will learn both the Mike and Will linebacker positions.
Day 2 Grade
The Raiders needed to get more explosive on offense in order to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs high-flying attack and they certainly did that by drafting Bowden and Edwards. With the expectation of Bowden starting his rookie season at running back, that fills a need behind Josh Jacobs in the running attack and alongside Jalen Richard as a pass-catching option out of the backfield.
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The Raiders already have their two starting linebackers with Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski as well as their starting safety duo with some combination of Jonathan Abram, Damarius Randall and Jeff Heath, so adding Muse provides depth to the second level.