Oakland Raiders: Five First Round Scenarios That Make Sense

Trading Down

There has been a call from some corners for the Raiders to trade up in an effort to nab Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. And while Elliott is an incredible athlete who would bring some much needed punch to the Raiders backfield, not to mention take some of the burden off Latavius Murray and help take Oakland’s offense to another level, it’s just not going to happen.

There is no way Elliott slides all the way to fourteen and the idea that McKenzie would trade up to get him seems ridiculous. Raider fans everywhere know that the idea of McKenzie giving up picks to move up in the draft is as likely to happen as John Elway – perhaps only now realizing that Mark Sanchez is his quarterback – deciding to suit up and leading the Broncos to another Super Bowl.

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While it’s entirely possible that McKenzie has a player he’s in love with and opts to stay where he is at fourteen, knowing him as we all do, it’s also entirely possible that he works a deal to move back in the first round and accumulate a couple more picks. There’s little more in this world that McKenzie loves more than his draft picks.

Moving back though, would be dependent upon finding a willing trade partner. And because of their position in the draft order, that might be a tall order. Most of the elite talents in the draft, players like Elliott, Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, and DeForest Buckner will likely all be gone. Unless there is a player a team lower in the order than the Raiders absolutely loves, it might be tough to find a trade partner.

That being said, if McKenzie can find a trade partner, based on who might still be on the board, trading back a few spots in the draft and picking up a solid player, while accumulating a few more picks to add some depth, isn’t a bad idea.

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