gg8989'S MOCK DRAFT

DDD3

  • gg8989 DRAFTING FOR THE
    Raiders
Draft Selections
Abdul Carter Head Shot
PICK: 6 RND: 1 (LV)
Abdul Carter
DE-EDGE Penn State
Aireontae Ersery Head Shot
PICK: 37 RND: 2 (LV)
Aireontae Ersery
OT Minnesota
Kaleb Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 68 RND: 3 (LV)
Kaleb Johnson
RB Iowa
Jayden Higgins Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (LV)
Jayden Higgins
WR Iowa State
Riley Leonard Head Shot
PICK: 107 RND: 4 (LV)
Riley Leonard
QB Notre Dame
Lathan Ransom Head Shot
PICK: 142 RND: 5 (LV)
Lathan Ransom
S Ohio State
Miles Frazier Head Shot
PICK: 179 RND: 6 (LV)
Miles Frazier
OG LSU
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 212 RND: 6 (LV)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Devin Neal Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (LV)
Devin Neal
RB Kansas
Chris Paul Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (LV)
Chris Paul Jr.
LB Ole Miss
Draft Grade — Raiders
Overall B
ValueB NeedA- TradesB- FutureB-
Best value of the weekend goes to the Raiders for Neal: B.

Somebody in the 216th pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Raiders sat still while Devin Neal, the No. 83 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.

Reaching for Leonard left real value on the table behind him. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped cornerback, which is a strange place to end up. The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but cornerback.

Pick Analysis
Pick6 Rnd1 Abdul Carter
In the 6th pick they get a premier pass rusher. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick37 Rnd2 Aireontae Ersery
A real head-scratcher, Aireontae Ersery in slot 37 is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick68 Rnd3 Kaleb Johnson
Taking Kaleb Johnson in pick 68 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick73 Rnd3 Jayden Higgins
Jayden Higgins at No. 73 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick107 Rnd4 Riley Leonard
Riley Leonard at the Round 4 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick142 Rnd5 Lathan Ransom
A safety of that caliber at the 142nd overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick179 Rnd6 Miles Frazier
Miles Frazier at Round 6, Pick 4 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick212 Rnd6 Nicholas Singleton
Steal is underselling it; Nicholas Singleton at pick No. 212 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The roster fit checks out.
Pick216 Rnd6 Devin Neal
Devin Neal in Round 6, Pick 41 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick222 Rnd7 Chris Paul Jr.
You do not let a linebacker like Chris Paul Jr. reach pick 222 and blink. They did not. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.