Oakland Raiders: Temptation abounds, but team must make the safe pick

The Oakland Raiders are in familiar territory with yet another top-ten pick in the upcoming draft. And though some prospects are tantalizing, they should make the safe pick.

Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie isn’t exactly what’s known as a gambling man. But, he’s been known to take a flyer on a player here and there over his tenure on a player during the Draft. Suffice it to say, some of those flyers have worked out better than others.

But, as the team barrels toward the upcoming Draft in April, the team is flush with areas of need. As luck would have it, most of those needs are on the defensive side of the ball.

And by luck, we mean that McKenzie hasn’t drafted particularly well on defense over his tenure.

Thankfully, this year’s Draft is loaded with defensive talent that can help Oakland fill the many and various holes on defense. Defensive tackles, edge rushers, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties – Oakland needs them all, and this Draft promises to have impact players at every position.

McKenzie, as we’ve seen over his tenure, is fond of taking project players. Guys with plenty of athleticism and potential, but aren’t necessarily capable of stepping in on day one and contributing. Cory James, Marquel Lee, Shilique Calhoun, Jihad Ward – the list goes on.

The poor defensive drafting – not to mention a few free agent busts – have left this Oakland defense in tatters. If you take that, combined with the ineptitude of former DC Ken Norton Jr., it’s a lot easier to understand why Oakland’s defense has been an absolute dumpster fire for the last few seasons.

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But, with Jon Gruden now firmly in control, he’s put together a staff long on experience, who can hopefully help righting the ship.

With the Raiders holding either the ninth or tenth pick in the upcoming Draft, there’s already been a lot of speculation about who they might select. Many have the Raiders taking a corner like Denzel Ward or Joshua Jackson. Others think Oakland might take Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.

And a few even think McKenzie might trade up to take a run at Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – given McKenzie’s track record in the Draft, that’s not bloody likely. Giving up draft picks to move up isn’t something McKenzie has proven willing to do very often at all.

Recently though, another name has been creeping into the conversation – University of Texas San Antonio’s Marcus Davenport.

Despite coming out of a school like UTSA – not exactly a traditional powerhouse – Davenport has been generating a lot of buzz. At six-foot-six, 250 pounds, Davenport is explosive, athletic, and knows how to rush the passer.

Pro Football Focus has Davenport slotted in as the third-best pass rushing prospect behind North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb and Ohio State’s Nick Bosa. PFF calculated that on 199 defensive snaps, Davenport tallied 43 total pressures – that’s eight sacks, six hits and 29 hurries.

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Davenport is just as good against the run as he is rushing the passer, posting the third highest grade among all players at his position.

By all accounts, Davenport is the real deal. A fantastic player with size, speed, strength, length, and athleticism to burn.

Of course, the one caveat to all of this is that he played at UTSA – meaning, he wasn’t facing elite talent across the line in Conference USA. To give you an idea, UTSA faced the likes of Old Dominion, UTEP, Middle Tennessee State, and Charlotte, among others.

All of this to say, Davenport’s dominance at the small school college level and his resulting impact at the next level could pan out to be on par with University of Buffalo product Khalil Mack – or Southern Utah product James Cowser.

Despite the pre-Draft hype and buzz surrounding Davenport, it’s still something of a crapshoot. You just don’t know for sure if his dominance at UTSA is going to translate to the next level.

And what the Raiders need more than anything, is to knock their first round pick out of the park. They can’t really afford to gamble.

Granted, the same could be said for most any Draft prospect and nothing is ever a sure thing, but some are closer to certainties than others.

And one of those things that’s closer to a certainty than others is Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.

Oakland’s problems at the linebacker spot are well documented. Neither Cory James nor Marquel Lee has proven capable of being an every down backer, and though they can be stout against the run, they’re liabilities against the pass – something that’s been Oakland’s Achilles heel for a while now.

The Raiders desperately need a linebacker who’s good against the run and the pass. A linebacker who can be an every down guy for them.

The hope is that they re-sign NaVorro Bowman. Last season, Bowman stepped in immediately after being signed and had a positive impact for this team. He was a solid force in the middle of the defense and elevated the play of everybody around him.

But, at 29 and coming up on 30-years old, and with a history of injuries like his, Bowman may only have a couple of good seasons left in him. The Raiders would be wise to bring in somebody like Smith to learn from Bowman and eventually succeed him in the middle of that defense.

Last season, fans were aghast when the Raiders let Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster get away. That frustration was only amplified as Foster made plays for the 49ers and looked the part of a guy who can lead that defense for years to come.

It was amplified even further when the Raiders waited until the fifth round to address the very glaring hole in their linebackers group and took a guy in Marquel Lee, who had almost zero impact. Even worse, who proved to be an absolute liability on passing downs.

At six-foot-one, 225 pounds, Smith may be a little undersized, but he’s got more than enough athleticism, speed, and strength to play the position. He’s a force against both the run and the pass, and showed that he can even rush the passer by posting 6.5 sacks to go along with his 137 total tackles (85 solo), and 14 tackles for a loss.

And unlike Davenport, Smith played against top competition in the SEC, facing the likes of Alabama, Auburn, and even non-conference games against Notre Dame, among others.

Davenport could turn out to be every bit the pass rushing stud some are proclaiming him to be. This isn’t to denigrate his performance in any way whatsoever. But, this Raiders team needs immediate help on the defensive side of the ball and Smith’s resume is a little bit better, and his position is a bigger area of need.

Oakland needs an impactful linebacker who can play both the run and the pass equally as well. And they can’t afford to wait until the fifth or the sixth rounds to find one.

And though nothing is ever certain or guaranteed with Draft prospects, there are some players who are pretty close to it. Roquan Smith is one such player and the Raiders shouldn’t screw around. They should make the safe pick and snap him right up.

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