Oakland Raiders GM, Reggie McKenzie and head coach, Dennis Allen are on the hot seat. After back-to-back 4-12 seasons (that were arguably not their fault), they need to win now if they want to keep their jobs another year. This means they need a drastic improvement in the talent on their team. They did a lot to fix that problem in free agency, signing several talented veterans like defensive ends Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley, as well as offensive tackle Donald Penn, and wide receiver James Jones. However, they also needed to bring in a healthy infusion of young talent in the draft. So how did they do?
In the first round they were very fortunate to find the best player in the draft, linebacker Khalil Mack, fall to them at the fifth overall pick. Mack brings an instant blue chip player to their defense that can do anything you can ask a linebacker to do. He will pair up with last year’s linebacker rookie sensation, Sio Moore to form a pair of outside linebackers that can have a major impact on the field.
In the second round they selected a quarterback in Derek Carr. Despite what many analysts say, Carr is highly overrated and would never be a second round pick in a decent class of quarterbacks. His accuracy on throws over ten yards is pathetic and he has very little arm strength to get it there in the first place. He reminds me of Matt Flynn, who the Raiders cut early last season due to the same problems. Carr’s stats are bloated by throwing an absurd amount of screens and he struggles mightily against pressure. Just watch his bowl game against USC where he was completely incompetent. They already have Matt McGloin on the team and he has a very similar skill set. I like McGloin alright but why would you want two of him? Jimmy Garoppolo was available and he has a lot more physical talent than Carr in every way (he went to the New England Patriots later in the round). On top of it all, he played entirely out of shotgun so he will have to learn how to play under center, which also means he will have to learn new mechanics. When you consider the unbelievable talent that was available to them in the second round it really makes this pick a disappointing one. Between defensive linemen like Timmy Jernigan and Scott Crichton or wide receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson, why not pick a dynamic play maker that can help the team right away? Especially when you are fighting for your job.
Click here to watch Carr vs USC
In the third round the Raiders added Gabe Jackson, a guard from Mississippi State. For a third round pick, Jackson offers pretty good value and he could find playing time this year. He is fairly strong and hard working. The only problem I have with the pick is that there was far better value on the board. Defensive linemen, Will Sutton and Louis Nix went off the board with the next two picks. Sutton could have stepped in as the starting 3 tech right away and Nix was the best pure nose tackle in the draft (which they obviously were looking for judging by their next pick). Again, Jackson is a solid pick. It’s just that there was potential here for a great pick.
With two selections in the fourth round, Oakland took nose tackle Justin Ellis and cornerback Keith McGill. Both picks fill a need and brought good value for the selection. Ellis is a massive nose tackle who moves pretty well for his size. His only problem is that he often plays too high and does not get the leverage you would like from him. He will need to work on his conditioning but that’s part of the territory when drafting a guy that weighs 334 pounds. McGill is a tall and long corner that can excel in press-man coverage. He is very athletic for his size but does not always play up to his ability. He needs some time and mentorship to become the player he can be but the nice part is that he will get that opportunity with the Raiders. On paper he is behind last years first round pick, D.J. Hayden, and recently signed veterans, Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers. If he learns what he can from the veterans and coaches, he could develop into a stud corner and pair up with Hayden to form a great young coverage duo.
The Raiders had no picks in the fifth or sixth round but they missed out on defensive linemen Caraun Reid and Ed Stinson. Both players fell way too low and were talented enough to go in the second round at least (I had a first round grade on both). They would have been great picks at any point in the draft after the Mack selection.
Oakland had three picks in the seventh round. With those picks they took cornerback Travis Carrie, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, and safety Jonathan Dowling. Carrie is a well built corner who is best suited for bump and run coverage. He plays very aggressively for the ball, sometimes too aggressively. He also is comfortable sliding inside to the slot in nickel packages. It’s not easy to find a guy who can do that since slot receivers have so much more room to run. Shelby Harris is hard for me to grade because I could only find one film of him and it was from two years ago. He looked fairly well-built, long, and athletic. His problem was that he played too high and did not use his hands very well. Hopefully he has fixed that in the past year. Dowling is a safety with very long arms and has surprising closing speed. He aggressively plays the run but lacks the skill to consistently tackle. He prefers to make arm tackles or dive at legs and misses a lot of tackles he shouldn’t as a result. He has physical tools but needs to become a better student of the game the make the team. All three picks in the final round of the draft netted solid players with upside to grow into a quality player.
Overall, the Oakland Raiders had a solid weekend. They got the best player in the draft and they got him at pick number five so it’s hard to say they didn’t do well. Carr was a terrible pick and a missed opportunity to get another blue chip player. When it’s all said and done, almost every position was a need in Oakland and they definitely filled a lot of them with solid prospects. They ended up making their team much better and Khalil Mack alone added a great piece to what could be a very scary defense this year. I do not envy other quarterbacks in the AFC West.
Image courtesy of http://profootballzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/khalil-mack1.png
Thanks to draftbreakdown.com for game film