The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of money to spend in free agency this offseason. However, if history is any indication, general manager John Spytek will want to invest heavily in the NFL Draft once again, especially now, considering he has his full front office in place.
Last year, Spytek made no shortage of trade-backs in the middle rounds to gain as much capital as possible. With Las Vegas still needing a massive young talent influx, we tried to get inside the mind of Spytek and move around the board a bit to acquire more starters in our latest 7-round mock draft.
Raiders' latest 7-round mock draft includes trade-backs for more starters
Round 1, Pick No. 1: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Mendoza is a textbook NFL quarterback. Not only is he the best signal-caller in this draft in terms of his playing ability, but his maturity and persona just scream "face of the franchise." Fans don't need to worry about him in Las Vegas, and he could be under center for the Raiders for the next decade plus.
***Trade No. 33 for No. 36 and No. 104***
Round 2, Pick No. 36: R. Mason Thomas, DE, Oklahoma
Our first of three trade backs! Thomas is a force both against the run and as a pass-rusher. In the last two years, he has recorded 15.5 sacks and 22.0 tackles for loss. He is incredibly fast at 6-foot-2 and 249 pounds, and Thomas has drawn comparisons to Nik Bonitto. That is good company to be in.
***Trade No. 65 for No. 67 and No. 125***
Round 3, Pick No. 67: Connor Lew, C, Auburn
Another! Lew is an experienced player who will be just 20 years old at the draft. His stock has been tanked a bit by torn ACL in October, but he should make a full recovery and be ready by next year. Lew is arguably the best center prospect in the class and has loads of upside to tap into as well.
Round 4, Pick No. 101: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
I'll probably take Rodriguez in every mock draft. Get used to it. For the life of me, I can't figure out why Rodriguez, who finished fifth in Heisman voting and has all the talent and production in the world, is a mid-round pick. He's slightly small and doesn't have top-end speed, but man does he make up for it.
Round 4, Pick No. 104: Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
Fields is an older prospect as a redshirt senior, but at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, he should be NFL ready on Day 1. The Raiders could use a player like Fields, who has an unbelievable catch radius and the ability to both make contested grabs and get yards after the catch. He was a captain as well.
RELATED: Fernando Mendoza sends loud and clear message to Raiders in the Rose Bowl
Round 4, Pick No. 125: Tim Keenan III, DT, Alabama
Keenan lines up all over the defensive interior and can serve as both a space eater and a true difference-maker. He made several big plays for Alabama in the College Football Playoff, and while he's not a three-down player, Keenan can be a force against the run. He is also an incredible human.
Round 4, Pick No. 127: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech
Rutledge may be a project, but at 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds with long arms, good athleticism and a mean streak, the Raiders should take the gamble. He'll need to clean up his leverage and footwork, but he still didn't give up a sack as a senior. Rutledge does need to improve as a run-blocker, however.
***Trade No. 135 for No. 139 and No. 217***
Round 4, Pick No. 139: Justice Haynes, RB, Michigan
This is our third and final trade. With experience at both Alabama and Michigan, Haynes has already played in some big football games. Now, he could head to Las Vegas and serve as the bigger, more bruising complement to Ashton Jeanty, and the Raiders could use his knack for finding the end zone.
Round 6, Pick No. 179: Bud Clark, DB, TCU
Clark is a versatile secondary piece who has drawn comparisons to young stars like Craig Woodson and Calen Bullock. He's an older prospect, but he has 15 picks and 21 passes defended in the last four years, and hose kind of ball skills aren't typically found on Day 3. Plus, he's a good run defender.
Round 7, Pick No. 214: Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama
Jackson is a big and physical corner who just needs a bit more polish and coaching. He has great instincts against the run and is an intelligent player, but Jackson just gets caught watching the quarterbacks eyes or biting on moves, which led to some penalties. But the potential is there.
Round 7, Pick No. 217: Dametrious Crownover, OT, Texas A&M
Crownover is just a monster at 6-foot-7 and 336 pounds. Even though he has played nearly 2,000 career snaps at right tackle, he still needs some fine-tuning. Crownover's pad level gets high at times and he gets penalized quite a bit, but he plays incredibly hard and has a massive frame to work with.