Oakland Raiders: Assessing the probability of a few first-round options

The Oakland Raiders have a big decision to make with their tenth overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft – let’s assess the probability of a few options.

The Oakland Raiders, over the course of GM Reggie McKenzie‘s tenure, haven’t gotten a whole lot out of their draft classes. While other teams have had hugely impactful draft classes, McKenzie’s draft history is spotty – at best.

Quick – aside from Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Gabe Jackson (all taken in 2014) and Amari Cooper (drafted in 2015), name one single impact player McKenzie has drafted. Can you name one? Even a single one?

Suffice it to say, with somewhat limited space under the cap, the Raiders are going to need to choose wisely and maximize the talent they will be selecting. In terms of drafting, McKenzie and HC Jon Gruden are going to need to knock it out of the park this year.

And that all starts with the tenth overall pick.

With a number of quarterback-needy teams jockeying for position – some see four quarterbacks, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield being taken in the top-ten – the Raiders should have a good number of solid options available to them when they’re on the clock.

With a number of different needs to address – mostly on the defensive side of the ball – the Raiders will need to figure out which hole most needs to be filled. Of course, what they do during the free agency period will help shape those needs and determine how it impacts their board.

It’s obviously all a guessing game at this point, but just for kicks, let’s take a look at some potential first round picks and assess the probability of each…