Linebacker
The Raiders signed Vontaze Burfict to man the middle of the defensive corps and be the defensive leader. Unfortunately, he was suspended for the season for his week 3 hit against Indianapolis Colt tight end Jack Doyle. Will Compton, Tahir Whitehead, and Nicholas Morrow filled in admirably but none seemed to be the long term answer at any of the linebacking positions. The Raiders would also like to see more pressure come out of the position, where they got a total of 0 sacks from their linebackers. A speedy quarterback that can pressure the quarterback as well as drop into coverage will fill a major hole for the Raiders. The Raiders have a plethora of draft picks and should address the position via the draft or free agency, where they should have as much $70 million in cap space.
Wide Receiver
The Raiders saw their receiving corps falter late in the season but did show promise. Tyrell Williams started the season on fire when he caught 5 touchdown passes in his first 5 games as a Raider. He was slowed down by a plantar fasciitis injury that saw him only catch one touchdown from week 8 til week 17. He proved to be a legitimate red zone target standing at 6-4 205 pounds but he isn’t stretching out the field. Hunter Renfrow was a steal for the Raiders when they picked him up in the 5th round with the 149th pick out of Clemson. He is slated to be their slot receiver for the upcoming NFL season. What the Raiders lack is a true number 1 receiver that can stretch the field for Derek Carr. The 2020 NFL Draft Class is absolutely loaded with potential franchise receivers. They are licking their chops with two picks in the first round, #12 and #19, where they can land top ranked receiver Jerry Jeudy out of Alabama or Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Cornerback
You can never have too many corners in a division that sports Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen, Courtland Sutton, Travis Kelce, and Mike Williams. The Raiders have young talent at that position but no true shut-down corner that they can leave on an island against the NFL’s elite. Gareon Conley seemed to be the answer, but was traded to the Houston Texans for a third round pick in the 2020 draft. The 2020 free agent class possesses one potential long term answer in Dallas Cowboy Byron Jones. Now, if they can’t land Jones, what can be a short term answer is Denver Broncos Chris Harris who brings elite talent, championship pedigree and veteran leadership that the position sorely lacks. The Raiders will surely address the position in the draft with 5 picks in the first 100 selections.
Defensive End
Since the Kahlil Mack trade in 2018, the Raiders have been amassing talent on the front 4 over the last two years. They hit big on rookies Clelin Ferrell (Round 1, #4 overall) and Maxx Crosby (Round 4, #106 overall) who combined for 14.5 sacks. They need to add depth to provide fresh legs throughout the season as well as more pressure. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will love to have more pieces to rush the quarterback for a team that had 32 sacks during the season and would love to see that number rise to 50. Yannick Ngakoue from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arik Armstead from the San Francisco 49ers are appealing options but might be resigned by their respected teams. Cheaper options like Robert Quinn or Kyle Van Noy can add depth and leadership to a group of defensive ends.
The Raiders are in a unfortunate circumstance since they play in the same division as the Super Bowl winners Kansas City Chiefs and 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. These are the areas they need to address to compete with the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL to make it back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
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