With three first-round draft picks last year, the consensus would have been that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock were most likely to succeed with the player they selected at No. 4 instead of at No. 24 or No. 27. The smart money doesn’t always win. As it turned out, the
History shows that Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock would be wise to add second-round pick to Raiders draft stash
One scout used to say that once you get past pick 10, the elite players, the rest of the first round is from a “best player available” perspective are all the same.
I’d be all for Raiders to trade their #19 pick (or package their 3 3rd picks) and pick up a 2nd rounder. Why?
-It diversifies your draft picks from risk. You basically have more players that could materialize (think of how you invest your stocks. Will all your stocks experience gains? Very unlikely. Same with draft picks)
-You get more coverage on positions of weakness (meaning, Raiders could get a WR, CB in first round, along with a LB in the 2nd). And Raiders definitely need more talent in many areas, even after Free Agency.
By the way, for those complaining about draft still taking place (many of the NFL GMs), I think it’s a good thing. Less chances for overthinking and overanalysis. The first draft was held in February and was placed in February for many years. If one analyzed picks from those days, compared to now, in terms of “hits” and “misses” I bet the number of hits hasn’t changed much.
+1 Ghost.
Or the baseball analogy, the more times you get to the plate (draft picks) the more swings you get. And there is always the chance you hit it out of the park. We need to do that.
I have said it on several occasions, I think Gruden and Mayock WANT to trade back and pick up a 2nd rounder or two given the opportunity.
I also say that Carr is being shopped, quietly perhaps, and if we get a decent offer, he is gone.
I don’t think its necessarily prudent to trade down simply to acquire a 2nd round pick. Mayock’s board should dictate the course of action based on the talent they are seeking to get. Having 2 first round choices gives the Raiders the flexibility to grab 2 potential starters on day 1. Additionally, Abram could be considered as their 3rd number 1 since we didn’t see him at all in 2019. I understand the large gap of players between pick 19 and pick 80, but consider this – in 2019 the Raiders selected Mullen (pick 40 overall) and didn’t select again until pick 106. 66 players were selected ahead of the Raiders pick of Mad Maxx at 106. Not too shabby. If the Raiders make their 2 selections in the 1st round, their next pick will be #80. Only 61 players will be gone – not 66. This draft will undoubtably be the most unique in modern history. No interviews, no pro days, no nothing. Just tape evaluation and gut instinct. We are fortunate to have Mayock because thats right up his wheel house. I think he knows that and is preparing to take full advantage of this strange situation. I’m happy we have him steering the ship in these troubled waters. And I’m really thankful for the few minutes I was able to escape this madness and write about the Raiders. Everyone take good care.
Great points, Ben. In a perfect world, though, imagine the Raiders trading down from No. 19 to, say, No. 24. In that scenario, they still could get a Day 1 starter at No. 24, in addition to adding a second-rounder and perhaps more. Heck, there’s the possibility of trading down twice from No. 19, still picking late in the first round and adding a handful of picks. The possibilities are endless. You take care, as well. Thanks for breaking away to share your thoughts. This is how we build the bully. — Cork
It is easy to say they should trade up from the 3’s or down from #19 but, it takes two teams to make it happen. If a trade partner does not exist, there is no trading up or down. We heard the same situation existed last year forcing the Raiders to select Ferrell at #4 rather than trading down a few spots and still drafting him. Mayock and Gruden can take advantage only of the situations and opportunities which present themselves.