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2021 NFL Draft: Las Vegas Raiders have no room for error in the first round

By Brad Weiss

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 28: NFL Network Draft Expert Mike Mayock walks the sidelines before the start of the 2017 Resse's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama. The South defeated the North 16-15. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 28: NFL Network Draft Expert Mike Mayock walks the sidelines before the start of the 2017 Resse's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama. The South defeated the North 16-15. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Unlike the previous two NFL Drafts, the Las Vegas Raiders hold only one pick, sitting with the No. 17 selection overall this April. In 2019, the Raiders held three first-round picks, bringing in Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs, and Johnathan Abram, before adding Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette in the first round in 2020.

Of these five players, there have been up and down results, with Jacobs becoming an absolute star in the league, and Ferrell improving after a tough rookie season. Abram missed his entire rookie campaign, only to play very inconsistent football this past season, but the hope is that he can get things turned around for the 2021 campaign.

Rookies Ruggs and Arnette did not do much to speak of as rookies, with Ruggs having a few bright moments, including the Kansas City game and his last-second touchdown against the New York Jets, but he was overshadowed by Nelson Agholor. Arnette struggled to stay healthy all season long and looks like a huge reach entering YEar 2.

There are plenty of mock drafts going around that have the Raiders picking players on the defensive side of the ball, and if they do that, they certainly cannot miss.

Raiders cannot afford to miss in the first round

It goes without saying that a first-round pick is a big business, and a team can never afford to miss on their player in the first round. For a team that finished 8-8 last season, the Raiders will be picking in the middle of the first round, making scouting even harder in terms of not missing with the selection.

At pick No. 17, Mayock should be able to find some elite defensive talent, especially with so many teams ahead of the Raiders looking for a quarterback. Mayock has stated that the Raiders are lacking playmakers on all three levels, so he could go several different ways with this selection in April.

Whoever is the choice, he cannot afford to miss, as the Raiders are a few players away from being a playoff team. If he reaches, he does not have the luxury of having another first round pick to get right in 2021.

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In fairness, Mayock has done a tremendous job finding talent after Day 1, bringing in the likes of Trayvon Mullen, Maxx Crosby, Hunter Renfrow, and Foster Moreau in 2019. His 2020 class was definitely not as productive, with one player getting traded in the preseason, and one being on injured reserve all year, so the jury is definitely still out.

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