If the NFL draft started today, the Las Vegas Raiders wouldn’t have their turn until the 86th overall selection. So, what are the five options that the Silver and Black might have with that pick, barring any trades?
To call the Raiders’ offseason an eventful one would be putting it lightly. Raider Nation has been on quite the rollercoaster since their team exited the playoffs after getting eliminated by the Cincinnati Bengals.
The catalyst of that loss was Mark Davis’s hiring of Dave Ziegler as the new general manager, and with that, the man in charge of personnel decisions. After being largely silent in the early goings of free agency, Ziegler turned the NFL world upside down by trading his first and second-round picks for superstar receiver Davante Adams.
While the acquisition of Adams adds another dimension to the Raiders’ offense and instantly turns them into playoff contenders, the draft capital that was traded away was valuable in its own right. Nevertheless, unless there’s another trade on the horizon, the Raiders don’t pick until number 86. Luckily for Ziegler and Co., there’ll still be plenty of talent to pluck with that selection.
Even though the Raiders have re-signed offensive tackle Brandon Parker and swing offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor, the team should still be looking to add from such a deep class of offensive line prospects.
Wide receiver is no longer a critical need, but defensive tackle and defensive backs are still in play as needs for the Raiders’ brain trust.
It’ll be interesting to see how much the team’s big board has changed following the blockbuster Adams trade. With that being said, let’s rank five potential prospect options that the Raiders may have once the draft gets rolling next April.