Raiders 2022 NFL Draft: Offense or Defense at pick No. 86

Raiders 2022 NFL Draft: Offense or Defense at pick No. 86

The Offense Road

With new head coach Josh McDaniels at the helm, big things are expected for the Raiders offense after finishing 11th in total offense last season with 377.9 yards per game. In addition, the Raiders made some key offseason moves in free agency including trading their first-round pick to Green Bay for Devante Adams.

DeMarcus Robinson and Mack Hollins will also join Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Bryan Edwards in the receiving corps. In addition, they signed running Ameer Abdullah to add depth at running back behind Josh Jacobs and Kenyon Drake.

The one unit that the Raiders did not address in free agency is their offensive line. Obviously, you need a good offensive line for your whole offense to work. If your offensive line is not moving defenders, then you can forget about moving the football down the field. After all, McDaniels produced some great offenses during his time in New England because of solid offensive line play.

If The Raiders decide to go offense with their first pick, it has to be an offensive lineman. Now should they get a guard or tackle? Well, there is no right or wrong answer. After all, they need both.

For instance, they are pretty thin at the right tackle position following the failed Alex Leatherwood experiment. Abraham Lucas out of Washington State or Daniel Faalele out of Minnesota would be perfect for this role. These two behemoths would make edge rushers think twice about even looking at Derek Carr the wrong way.

On the other hand, a guard like Central Michigan’s Luke Goedeke or Kentucky’s Darian Kinnard would also be ideal for the Raiders’ offensive line. In addition, they could push other guards like Leatherwood and Denzelle Good.

Whether they go guard or tackle, they have to be smart in evaluating the prospects and not make mistakes.