3 Position groups the Las Vegas Raiders should avoid until Day 3
The Raiders don’t need a linebacker that badly… or do they?
A talent such as Parsons or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is certainly difficult to pass up on an opening day as would someone like Kentucky’s Jamin Davis during round two. However, with Bradley coming in, the linebacker group appears to be set. Cory Littleton, Nick Kwiatkoski, and Nicholas Morrow form the best trio the Raiders have had in a long time.
Yes, that’s not saying much, but it’s true given their upside under a defensive coordinator who will use them to the best of their strengths.
If Las Vegas feels that a linebacker is warranted on Day 3, a prospect such as South Carolina’s Ernest Jones could be a nice value pick. Somewhat undersized at six-foot-two and 230 pounds, Jones can come in and help stack the box for the Raiders.
He’s also an excellent tackler having missed only 20 tackles in 216 career attempts per PFF. Speed won’t be his biggest strength but he’ll get the job done in stopping the run, he posted a 69.4 run defense grade last year.
The other poison that can surely wait until Day 3, if at all, is quarterback. Every offseason the Raiders come up in conversations regarding the quarterback position. Recent news came out that the team did its ‘due diligence’ on top quarterback prospects.
Rest assured Raider Nation, the team will go into training camp with Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota as the top two signal-callers. Given how badly a tackle or safety is needed, it would be a waste to use a pick during those two days on a quarterback.
Nevertheless, if the Raiders do indeed want a quarterback, Stanford’s Davis Mills in the fourth round would make sense. Even then, this would be a stretch given the team’s other needs. Cornerback, linebacker, and quarterback shouldn’t be on the Raiders’ radar until the third day once they have restocked the offensive line and gotten themselves a starting safety.