Middle of the Pack: Las Vegas Raiders
I always enjoy a good Jon Gruden draft. I am often left scratching my head to try and understand why he does what he does, which is great for the entertainment factor. The Raiders had two first round picks and opted to spend their first pick on speed. (Hmm, I wonder what team they are trying to be like?) With the 12th overall pick, the Raiders took the speedster Henry Ruggs III. This is a pick that I question because I also question the Raiders quarterback room. In order to utilize speedy receivers, you have to have a quarterback that can maximize their strength. I’m not certain Derek Carr is that person. Maybe the Raiders have a long game plan and are going to Tank for Trevor? Now, I don’t think this was completely idiotic, but I just think a receiver with different strengths (such as CeeDee Lamb) may have been a better fit.
With their second first round pick, in a classic Gruden move, the Raiders selected someone that had no business being selected in the first round. (I really hope I don’t end up on Old Takes Exposed with that statement.) The Raiders took cornerback Damon Arnette out of Ohio State with the 19th pick. While the Raiders definitely needed a corner, there were others who should have been selected sooner. We’ll see.
The Raiders then had five picks in rounds three and four and added Lynn Bowden, a running back/wide receiver out of Kentucky; Bryan Edwards, a wide receiver out of South Carolina; Tanner Muse, a linebacker out of Clemson; John Simpson a guard out of Clemson; and Amik Robertson, a cornerback out of Louisiana Tech.
The Raiders are an overall very young team. I question some of their picks, but doesn’t it seem natural to question some picks every year? I definitely think we saw a trend in the AFC West which was that the Chiefs’ opponents selected offense because they realize they have to keep up with Patrick Mahomes. At the end of the day, you are not stopping him so you have to put up points. We will see if the Raiders can truly utilize their speedy receiver and the remainder of their draft class. Overall, this was a fine draft, but it wasn’t my favorite.