The Las Vegas Raiders hold six draft picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, after forfeiting their sixth-round pick due to COVID-19 violations. Holding the No. 17 overall pick this year, after posting an 8-8 record, general manager Mike Mayock will have to do his best job yet in terms of bringing in the right players to help get this franchise over the hump.
This is a franchise that has had five first-round picks over the last two drafts, and while they have doubled their win total since the 2018 NFL season, it has not been enough considering all the assets they have utilized. Remember, the Raiders have looked like a playoff team in the first half of each of the last two seasons, only to falter down the stretch.
In 2020, the offense did a nice job, led by seventh-year starter Derek Carr, who has still yet to play in a playoff game. The problem is that they had one of the worst defenses in all of football, coming in at No. 30 overall in terms of points allowed per game.
Utilizing the Draft Networks simulator, the picks are in, and Raider Nation can be happy that the defense got some incredible reinforcements.