Oakland Raiders: Re-Drafting the 2017 class using the power of hindsight

Round 7 – Shalom Luani (221), Jylan Ware (231), Elijah Hood (242), Treyvon Hester (244)

When you get to the seventh-round, you’re kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel, talent-wise. If you’re lucky, you can find some solid special teamers. If you’re really lucky, you can find some hidden gems.

Going by that idea, McKenzie might have gotten, really, really lucky in that, he might have snagged not one, but two hidden gems in the seventh-round.

Shalom Luani, the five-foot-eleven, 208 pound, hard hitting safety showed that he has some solid instincts, can be a thumper in the defensive backfield, and is a ballhawk. He appeared in all 16 games for Oakland – mostly on special teams – and got just one defensive start.

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Luani got just 186 snaps on defense – and 289 on special teams. On those 186 defensive snaps, Luani collected 16 total tackles (12 solo), and had a pair of passes defensed. The fact that Luani accounted for just 18 percent of Oakland’s defensive snaps – especially in light of Reggie Nelson’s atrocious play – is borderline criminal.

Luani could prove to be a valuable asset in the defensive backfield, and paired with Karl Joseph back there, they could form a hard-hitting, ball-hawking tandem that could be a very solid last line of defense.

Treyvon Hester is another possible seventh-round diamond in the rough. He played sparingly, accounting for 346 defensive snaps, notching 19 total tackles (nine solo), and a forced fumble. At six-foot-two, 300 pounds, Hester is a big body, but he’s mobile and has power. He’s an upgrade over Justin Ellis and should hopefully be more involved in the defensive game plan.

Hester provided a solid body along the interior of that defensive line and provided a strong push up the middle. He sparkled in the preseason, but was used very seldomly during the regular season. Which again, given the ineffectiveness of Ellis, borders on the criminal.

Elijah Hood is an interesting prospect who spent the season on the team’s practice squad. At six-foot tall, 232 pounds, Hood has a lot in common with Marshawn Lynch. Their running styles are very similar and he could, if given the chance, provide some punch to Oakland’s running game.

After a productive career at North Carolina, the Raiders should see what they’ve got in Hood. With Washington and Richard proving to not be the answer in the backfield, the Raiders might have a solid option in Hood.

Oakland’s seventh-round, Jylan Ware aside, was a solid round for the team. Luani, Hester – and if given the chance, Hood – could all be productive contributors to this team.

Unlike previous rounds, there aren’t any swaps to be made as there aren’t any who could be perceived upgrades at those picks.

Next: Raiders Would Be Wise To Steer Clear Of The Island

So, there you have it, an interesting – or perhaps a just downright depressing – look at what might have been.

It’s hard to argue that a rookie crop that included Tre’Davious White, Alvin Kamara, John Johnson, Deatrich Wise Jr., and Caleb Brantley would have been less productive than Gareon Conley, Obi Melifonwu, Eddie Vanderdoes, David Sharpe, and Marquel Lee.

With a few different choices here or there, the Raiders would have had a very different look in 2017. And with it, possibly, a whole different outcome for this team.

Of course, as they say, hindsight is 20/20, and all that.