Gone are the days when we can just pencil in the player with the fastest 40 time to the Raiders in round one. Instead, after Oakland nailed their first two picks in 2014 – Khalil Mack and Derek Carr – we'll have to dig a little deeper into their options with the fourth overall pick.
New head coach Jack Del Rio is on board along with returning general manager Reggie McKenzie as the team's decision makers. On offense, the goal is to surround Carr with some playmakers on an offense that saw no player exceed 700 receiving yards in 2014. As such, both Alabama's Amari Cooper and West Virginia's Kevin White are potentially likely options here.
Oakland could also opt to help Carr by protecting him better, though Carr did well to avoid sacks as a rookie. The Raiders allowed only 28 in 2014, the sixth-fewest number in the league. Still, Iowa's Brandon Scherff would improve the Raiders line as a whole and would come in especially handy as a run blocker. To that end, despite the presence of the emerging Latavius Murray and the signing of former top-five pick Trent Richardson, Oakland could shock the top of the draft by picking Georgia's Todd Gurley to give Carr a backfield running mate for the foreseeable future.
Del Rio, though, is a defensive coach and the Raiders finished with only 22 sacks in 2014, the second-fewest total in the league. With Florida's Dante Fowler off the board, both Clemson's Vic Beasley and Nebraska's Randy Gregory could intrigue the Raiders, with Beasley being the cleaner prospect and probably he likelier pick.
On the back end, Michigan State's Trae Waynes would be an upgrade on Travis Carrie opposite former first-round pick D.J. Hayden at cornerback.
Finally, there is the possibility that another team looks to trade up to No. 4 in this scenario in order to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Raiders have little need for Mariota, of course, but they could definitely choose to move back a few spots in order to address a wider variety of needs.
- 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Jameis Winston
- 2. Tennessee Titans: DL Leonard Williams
- 3. Jacksonville Jaguars: LB Dante Fowler, Jr.
