When a team only wins a handful of games the year prior, the following offseason is typically spent getting rid of dead weight and re-tooling the roster in a way that makes sense for the future. That is exactly what new general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll are doing in their first year with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Instead of chasing down free agents and giving them large contracts, the team's new tandem of decision-makers has opted for cheaper players that fit the mold of what they are trying to build. They've also indicated that they are planning to build through the draft, and they have nine picks at their disposal this year.
There is no consensus on what the Raiders will do with the No. 6 pick, as the draft can unfold in too many ways to always predict who will be available. However, Las Vegas recently made a roster decision that could leave them with an obvious choice in the first round.
Raiders first-round pick couldn't be clearer after latest roster move
On Sunday, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal was the first to report that the Raiders were looking to trade starting cornerback Jack Jones. The team intended to waive him on Monday if they could not find him a trade partner.
After letting Nate Hobbs, another starting cornerback, leave the team in free agency, Las Vegas has a serious need for the position. The Raiders only have one starter from last year under contract, and they signed a handful of cheap player this offseason who cannot necessarily be relied on as starters.
Given this, the Raiders should draft a cornerback in the first round. Michigan's Will Johnson and Texas' Jahdae Barron are the top two players in the class (outside of Colorado's two-way star Travis Hunter), and they need to land one of them in order to feel good about their secondary.
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The problem is that both of these players may be considered a reach with the No. 6 pick. However, both Carroll and Spytek's history in the draft would indicate that they value taking a cornerback with upside, as the Seahawks did with Devon Witherspoon just seasons ago.
There are a handful of solid players available both in free agency and outside of the first round, but the Raiders need two starting cornerbacks. This may force them to double-dip at the position, and they'll have to start early if they want their choice of two good players.
Carroll has an illustrious history of developing cornerbacks from every walk of life, so Raiders fans should not panic about the team releasing an up-and-down player from last year's four-win team. Even if Las Vegas bypasses a cornerback in the first round and takes one later, his track record would suggest that the secondary will be just fine.