Questionable Call: Raiders 5-round mock draft pushes chips in on Aidan O'Connell
By Ryan Heckman
In the fourth round, the Raiders go back to the defensive side and get maybe the steal of the draft in North Carolina's Cedric Gray. Now, it's still early, so Gray's draft stock could rise even more -- and it should. But, for the sake of this mock, Gray was still on the board and Las Vegas was very fortunate to snag him.
Gray is one of the better all-around linebackers in his class. Standing 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, he has an ideal build for an interior linebacker. He's got all of the physical tools you'd like to see. Whether it's horizontal speed, strength to work through run blocks and get straight to the ball carrier or even the ability to drop back into coverage, Gray has it all.
If anything, just look at the production, because that will say it all. Over his last three seasons, Gray has totaled 365 tackles, 29.0 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five interceptions, five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 13 passes defensed.
It seems odd for Gray to drop to the fourth round, but that's exactly where he's found. Somehow, the Raiders get a sure fire starter in the middle of the draft.