The Oakland Raiders Can Now Cash in on Defense for the NFL Draft
Marshawn Lynch coming home to the Oakland Raiders headlines the numerous improvements made to bolster an already high-powered offense. Now to become an elite contender, Oakland must go defense in the NFL draft.
For the first time in a long time, the Oakland Raiders find themselves among a select few teams that are legitimate contenders to hoist the Lombardi Trophy come Super Bowl LII. But as we’ve seen from last season’s title game, you need an offense capable of putting points on the board and a solid defense to handle your opponent.
Oakland already had an emerging high-powered offense lead by Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, along with an efficient running back committee. The Raiders decided to bolster their offense with the additions of Jared Cook, Cordarrelle Patterson, and finally the hometown kid Marshawn Lynch.
Now that they have reloaded their offense, especially addressing their running back vacancy, the Raiders can begin to address improvements to the defensive side of the ball. Fans were likely expecting Oakland to address the defense early in free agency. Nonetheless, there’s no better opportunity to achieve that than through the NFL Draft.
Three defensive needs include an additional pass rusher, help at inside linebacker, and help in the secondary (in no particular order). Reggie Mckenzie will most likely address all three at some point throughout the seven rounds, but the question is whom he will select in the first round.
Many analysts believe McKenzie at pick 24 will select the best player available and choose to address the inside linebacker need early on with the selection of Jarrad Davis from Florida or possibly Zach Cunningham of Vanderbilt. Raiders fans may be (understandably) cautious of selecting a linebacker early on after the likes of Rolando McClain, but inside linebacker is a thin position that has been plaguing the Silver and Black in recent years.
The disappointment and departure of D.J. Hayden, along with the underwhelming performance of Sean Smith, has left a need for cornerback. The advantage here is that the cornerback position seems to be plentiful in this year’s draft, so Oakland doesn’t necessarily need to jump the gun with a high selection. The Raiders can look in the middle rounds to possibly develop a cornerback into a starter role for the future.
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Despite the defensive player of the year in Khalil Mack paying alongside exceptional pass-rusher Bruce Irvin, Oakland still managed to finish last season dead last in sacks. A pass-rusher is becoming more and more imperative for the NFL’s elite, and it can’t hurt to give Mack some extra help given that he is so often double teamed at the line of scrimmage. The Raiders surely hope Mario Edwards can come back healthy for a full season, but don’t be surprised if Reggie possibly takes a look at someone like Malik McDowell out of Michigan State to fill that pass-rusher need.
Next: Oakland Raiders: Ranking Team’s Biggest Needs Heading Into The Draft
Fans should hope for and also be excited to see the Raiders go defense in the draft. For the first time in a long time the Oakland Raiders are a legitimate contender and most importantly winners once again. They have the chance to make or break their season starting Thursday night with the 24th overall pick in the NFL Draft.