Raiders 7-round NFL Mock Draft: Trading out of the first round, stacking picks

As we have said many times this offseason, safety is not a massive priority for the Raiders but there is some concern about depth beyond starters Trevon Moehirg and Marcus Epps. The Raiders brought back Isaiah Pola-Mao who is more of a box safety and used a 2023 5th rounder on Chris Smith but he only contributed on special teams last season.

Epps is a free agent after this year so it makes sense to use an early pick on a player that could be his long term replacement. So with that in mind we use the 112th overall selection on Jaden Hicks out of Washington State.

Hicks measures in at an impressive 6-2 and 211lbs and is known for using every bit of that frame to lay the wood in the run game and on opposing receivers. None of his athletic numbers stand out as he was around the 75th percentile for the 40, vertical jump, and three cone drill. What does stand out is his natural football intelligence and ability to diagnose what the offense is doing and react to it before anyone else.

The Las Vegas native is comfortable in zone coverage deep down the field or in the box providing run support as a third linebacker in nickel packages. He fits what Patrick Graham generally looks for in safeties and can be deployed all over the field. The Raiders defense might be scary next season and having players like Hicks waiting in the wings is a tasty proposition.