3 recent first-round draft mistakes that continue to haunt the Raiders

3. Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 overall in 2019

The 2019 NFL Draft was supposed to be the one that would change the fortunes of the franchise for the long haul. After coming back to the fold in 2018, Jon Gruden traded away key players for draft capital, including stars like Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, netting them three first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Raiders first pick that year came at No. 4 overall, and with the team trading away Mack, the team gave themselves a severe need at edge rusher. Luckily for the Raiders, that draft class had two elite edge rushers in Nick Bosa and Josh Allen, two guys who have since gone on to become Pro Bowl players in the NFL.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Bosa was gone by the time they picked at No. 4, but it was almost obvious that Allen would be the pick for the Silver and Black. Instead, Gruden and Mayock went with Clemson star Clelin Ferrell, a move that would be seen as laughable on draft day, and still remains a horrible selection to this day.

Ferrell never amounted to much with the Raiders, and certainly did not become the edge rusher that Bosa or Allen became. Even worse, later on in the first round, the Raiders swung and missed again on Johnathan Abram, passing up on the likes of Deebo Samuel and AJ Brown to help bolster the wide receiver room.