TheOakland Raidersknocked the first round of the 2015 NFL draft out of the park. Their selection,Amari Cooper, caught 72 passes for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns. Cooper became the first Raiders’ wide receiver to catch for more than 1,000 yards sinceRandy Mossaccomplished the feat in 2005.
The team also did fairly well in the second and third rounds, adding potential defensive end starter inMario EdwardsJr and potential tight end starterClive Walfordrespectively.
Going into the 2016 NFL draft, many different analysts speculate who the Raiders could take with their first pick, 14th overall.
Chad Reuter of NFL.compredicts the Raiders will takelinebacker Leonard Floyd out of Georgia.
Mike Tanier of Bleacher Reportpredicts the Raiders will takelinebacker Reggie Ragland out of Alabama.
Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.compredicts the Raiders will takedefensive tackle Sheldon Rankins out of Louisville.
No matter who the Raiders take, one thing stays the same. The team needs to nail the first round. Oakland spent a ton this offseason bringing in quality free agents. They already have a young core. The team could be just one or two players away from contending. The team cannot afford to miss on a quality player being so close to contention.
But the NFL draft is more than just one round. If the Raiders want to add depth and improve the teams then fans must play attention to the later rounds of the draft.
These players aren’t flashy but a team can often find a diamond in the rough.Tom Brady,Shannon Sharpe, and AFL studKen Houston,among many others, were taken in the sixth round or later.
Usually the glamour of the draft comes in the first few rounds. Fans drool over which big time prospect will be coming to play for their team. But many don’t realize the importance of the late-round picks. It is extreme valuable being able to find an eventual starter from the sixth round and beyond.
So with the Raiders so close to contending these late round picks will be crucial to success. If they can find a player or two they can mold to be eventual starters, not only will the Raiders be a better team, butReggie McKenziewill be lauded for his ability to find talent in every round.
In this piece we will be looking at prospects expected to go in the sixth or seventh roundaccording to CBS Sports.
Fans may not even realize there is seven rounds in a draft. but these late round players can eventually turn out to be draft day steals for the Oakland Raiders.
Next: Running Back
Add us as a preferred source onGoogleLoading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations