With the upcoming NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders will be looking to improve their current roster.
The Raiders have lost and gained at multiple impact positions this offseason. So far position-wise, the Raiders currently have:
One center, punter, tackle guard combo, and a full back
Two kickers, long snappers, and defensive backs
Three defensive linemen, offensive linemen, quarterbacks, offensive tackles, and guards
Four running backs, safeties, tight ends, and defensive tackles
Six defensive ends
Seven cornerbacks, and linebackers
Nine wide receivers
Off-season Moves
The Raiders lost several notable players to free agency, including Nelson Agholar, Tyrell Williams, Lamarcus Joyner, Takkarist McKinley, Trent Brown, and Rodney Hudson.
While some of those losses hurt, the team also acquired some impactful players. Yannick Ngakoue, Kenyan Drake, John Brown, Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson, Willie Snead, and Rasul Douglas are all suiting up in the silver and black for 2021.
Before free agency, the Raider’s main weakness was their defensive line, followed by the linebacking core and the defensive backs, but they already fixed the defensive line problem and plugged in a few corners and defensive backs as well.
While fixing those holes helped, it also created some new weaknesses. The O-Line was lacking in talent they had the year before, and they didn’t make any major moves on the linebacker situation.
Draft Preview
In this year’s draft class, the Raiders are poised in a spot where they could end up getting the best player in 3 different positions they need.
At pick 17, it’s almost guaranteed that LB Micah Parsons out of Penn State, OT Rashawn Slater out of Northwestern, or in a best-case scenario, CB Patrick Surtain II from Alabama, will still be on the board.
It would also not come as a surprise if the Raiders traded up a bit to draft an elite talent, like Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell, if he drops past the 10th overall pick.
Even if the Raiders feel like they need a Wide Receiver just for an extra threat down the field in rounds 2 or 3, they have a surplus of options. These include options such as Rashod Bateman of Minnesota, Rondale Moore of Purdue, or even Elijah Moore of Ole Miss. All of these prospects have the potential to fall to the second round. If that happens, the Raiders are set.
Whichever direction the Raider’s front office decides to go, this Draft class seems to be a stacked class in all the positions the Raiders need. They also have the luxury of having four picks in the top three rounds
Expect the Raiders to fill out their weaknesses with elite young talent this offseason no matter what.
The NFL Draft starts Thursday, April 29th, at 5 p.m. and ends Saturday, May 1st.
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