Raiders: Questions that still linger heading into the 2022 NFL Draft

Raiders: Questions that still linger heading into the 2022 NFL Draft

Will the Raiders trade up?

As the draft continues to creep closer, the new regime maintains the urge to trade up, beginning their draft sooner than the third round.

Acquiring All-Pro wideout Davante Adams came at the cost of the Raiders’ ’22 first and second-round picks. While getting back into one of these rounds naturally means giving up assets, and likely valuable ones at that, doing so actually makes a lot of sense for Las Vegas.

With the bountiful depth now shaping the Raiders’ roster, it almost makes you ask yourself, “How much deeper does the Silver and Black need to be?”. Let’s break that down a bit.

While depth is never a bad thing, of course, there comes a point where there’s a logjam of talent across various units. If the Raiders haven’t entered that space yet, they’re knocking on the door. That being the case, it’s more beneficial for Las Vegas to focus on starting talent, as opposed to gathering more rotational players.

With question marks still at the offensive line, and other positions that have depth but lack a true every down starter such as [strong] safety or linebacker, there’s simply more benefit in grabbing a surefire starting-caliber player. After all, the alternative is grabbing a depth piece who now has to compete with the multitude of proven rotational players the roster now houses for playtime.

In the words of Dave Ziegler as he explains the motive for trading Ngakoue after signing Chandler Jones, “You only have so many snaps”. That same sentiment likely applies to many of the Raiders’ draft picks in two weeks.

In the end, both how much a trade-up would benefit Las Vegas and if the Raiders should consider trading up starts with how much the opposing team values the pick they’re offering up. If the deal is right, such a swap could be a make-or-break move in terms of immediate success. In the same token, if doing so costs the Silver and Black an arm and a leg, it’s probably best to pass.