The months and weeks leading up to the NFL Draft are always interesting. With the Las Vegas Raiders at the top of the board, however, not much intrigue has existed in the land of Silver and Black. John Spytek and the front office aren't even acting like they're targeting anyone but Fernando Mendoza.
And that is unequivocally a good thing. The Raiders have seemingly zeroed in on "their guy" and are vetting him as if he's running for office. Plus, it has given Las Vegas fans a chance to get familiar with the middle and later-round prospects, seeing as there is no drama in the first round for the franchise.
Still, it is anyone's guess what the Raiders will do in Round 2 or beyond. The curse for Spytek, Klint Kubiak and the scouting department is that they still need so many good players to boost this roster. The blessing is that almost anyone they draft will be considered an upgrade or a strong depth piece.
But ESPN's Matt Miller released his latest mock draft, and if Spytek followed his lead, then it would be disappointing to Raider Nation.
Las Vegas Raiders make series of great and questionable moves in ESPN's latest mock draft
Before we get into any analysis, let's take a look at Miller's mock draft, in its entirety:
1.01 - Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2.36 - Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
3.67 - Kage Casey, OL, Boise State
4.102 - Zeke Masses, CB, California
4.117 - Romello Height, DE, Texas Tech
4.134 - Chris McClellan, DT, Mizzou
5.175 - Eric Gentry, LB, USC
6.185 - Ahmaad Moses, SAF, SMU
6.208 - CJ Daniels, WR, Miami
7.219 - Febechi Nwaiwu, OG, Oklahoma
Now, let's give Miller some credit: He nails the first two picks, and the fourth round selections look like a trio of players who could help anchor the Raiders' defense for years. But Miller reached in Round 3 and made some questionable decisions in the late rounds of the draft.
A pairing of Mendoza and Boston would be rather exciting, as Las Vegas could still use that true "X" wide receiver, even if Kubiak said it wasn't necessary at the NFL Annual League Meeting. Mendoza loves big targets with wide catch radii, as all quarterbacks do, and Boston could bail him out so much.
Masses is a sleeping giant in this draft with great ball skills, even if early Round 4 is earlier than most have him mocked, and Height would arguably be the steal of the event if Spytek could land him in the early part of Day 3. McClellan is also a skilled and versatile defensive tackle who fits the 3-4 perfectly.
Casey, however, for as talented as he is and considering his rapport with Ashton Jeanty, is somewhat of a reach. Right now, the consensus board has him as the No. 129 prospect, which is late in Round 4, and Miller has the Raiders taking him practically a round and a half earlier than most think he'll go.
Not to mention the fact that Casey, with 32 and 3/4-inch arms, isn't likely to play offensive tackle in the NFL. Las Vegas added competition at guard with the signing of veteran Spencer Burford, and if the Raiders were to take an offensive lineman this early, it should probably be a tackle.
Great linebackers like Jake Golday from Cincinnati and Pittsburgh's Kyle Louis were on the board when Miller had the Raiders taking Casey, as were defensive tackles Lee Hunter from Texas Tech and Domonique Orange from Iowa State, as well as Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes.
If Las Vegas wanted a fringe guard/tackle, Iowa's Gennings Dunker was still on the board as well, and the consensus on him as a prospect is much higher. Georgia Tech interior offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge and TCU free safety Bud Clark were also available, and fans would much prefer one of them.
Now, it is hard to "reach" in the later rounds of the draft. But the Raiders could take much better swings in Rounds 5 through 7 than the ones Miller had them taking, starting with Eric Gentry in the latter half of the fifth round.
Gentry is a 6-foot-7 linebacker with incredibly long arms, but he currently lacks the muscle mass to make any kind of impact in the NFL. He's a bit clunky of a mover, too, and for as great as length and size are, there is certainly a point where you get too big and lose quickness or functionality.
Ahmaad Moses is a fine pick, but several other, at least more well-known safeties like USC's Bishop Fitzgerald and Texas Tech's Cole Wisniewski are available in this range. As are a myriad of promising tight ends like Wyoming's John-Michael Gyllenborg, Michigan's Marlin Klein and OSU's Will Kacmarek.
Then, at No. 208, the Raiders draft CJ Daniels, who is an older prospect but fairly underrated in this cycle. However, doubling up at wide receiver is probably a luxury, and Las Vegas needs surefire solutions at several other spots on the roster that they hadn't already addressed in this exercise.
To finish up the draft, the Raiders take a swing on yet another guard, which is a bit puzzling when one considers that a handful of impactful players on defense, especially on the defensive interior, were still available at this juncture of the mock draft.
Defensive tackles like Southeastern's Kaleb Proctor, Penn State's Zane Durant and South Carolina's Nick Barrett would all be better picks, as would Ohio State running back CJ Donaldson, linebackers Jack Kelly from BYU or Red Murdock from Buffalo. Heck, even take a stab at Oregon OT Isaiah World.
Honestly, there are so many promising options set to be available in the seventh round that investing in questionable depth on the offensive line would be a disappointment. So, all in all, Miller's draft has a lot of good picks, but just as many head-scratchers. Spytek can, and should, do far better.