What will the Raiders do Thursday night and in the two days that follow in the NFL draft?
No other team’s draft will be more interesting. That’s because of the new and glitzy brain trust in Las Vegas.
Will Tom Brady’s brilliance at quarterback translate into player selections? It’ll be the Raiders’ first draft since Brady was approved as a minority owner.
Will new head coach Pete Carroll’s opinion carry the most weight? The former Seahawks and Patriots head coach has far more experience as an NFL leader than any of the Raiders’ other top football men have in their current roles. Also, Carroll had final say in Seattle’s draft room for a decade-plus.
The Raiders have a rookie general manager in John Spytek. Does he have clout?
Spytek and Brady were teammates at Michigan. Spytek scouted for nine years with the Bucs, including the 2020 Super Bowl-winning season with Brady.
The Raiders’ three new power brokers own 10 Super Bowl rings. Brady has seven of them, one coming at Carroll’s expense.
Don’t forget about Raiders owner Mark Davis. He’s a wild card.
So, who will it be Thursday night?
The Raiders hold the sixth pick. Ashton Jeanty, the Boise State running back, is the player most draftniks pair with the Raiders.
Jeanty is a very good prospect. But, belaboring a point I made last month, a team with a bottom-five roster and a C- offensive line shouldn’t invest heavily in a running back. A back like Saquon Barkley might warrant an exception. Jeanty isn’t the home run hitter Barkley was entering the NFL. And he’s 20 pounds lighter.
That’s why the Raiders are so interesting.
Do Brady, Carroll and Spytek believe they can turn the Raiders into a Super Bowl contender within a few years?
A big Jeanty fan is Daniel Jeremiah. The former NFL scout graded him as the third-best player in this draft.
But Jeremiah suggested Friday that a Jeanty-Raiders pairing isn’t a fait accompli.
Michigan man Mason Graham could be the choice, he said in the NFL Network media call. The defensive tackle would improve the Raiders’ top unit, a line led by edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Jeremiah mentioned Javon Walker, an edge rusher from Georgia, as a candidate.
Then, Jeremiah tossed a curveball.
Kelvin Banks Jr., a left tackle out of Texas, could go to the Raiders at No. 6, despite Jeremiah grading him 31st in this draft class. Jeremiah noted that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian worked under Carroll at USC. And the ex-scout said an NFL team that’s not seeking a tackle told him recently it graded Banks as the top tackle in this class.
Investing in either line would make the most sense, assuming those prospects’ grades are similar to Jeanty’s. But until Thursday night and the following six rounds unfold, the Raiders’ power-trio will be a mystery.
Quick hits
Jeremiah’s dream draft for the Giants: edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3, a trade-up for quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round and a third-round selection.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe’s rare mobility brought a surprising comparison from Jeremiah. “He’s as impressive a runner as Lamar Jackson was coming out,” said the former Ravens scout. “Lamar was light years ahead of him in of the ing game.” I don’t see MIlroe’s elusiveness matching Jackson’s, but differing opinions add to the fun of the NFL draft.
Jeremiah suspects Broncos coach Sean Payton might trade up, if necessary, to draft Colston Loveland. The former Michigan TE is seventh on Jeremiah’s board.
Yet, Jeremiah said Payton trading down from 20 wouldn’t be a surprise. He said a team seeking a QB may want to jump ahead of the Steelers, who hold the 21st pick.
