Oakland Raiders Roundtable: Final seven-round mock draft

Isaac’s first round pick (#10): Roquan Smith, LB

The choice of who to select will be a difficult one for the Oakland Raiders when it comes to the tenth overall pick. Because of the quarterback run that will likely go down in the top ten, some of the best players in the draft will be available when the Raiders’ pick comes around.

In the end, the right choice is Georgia linebacker, Roquan Smith.

Linebacker is a position of desperate need for the team, so it only makes sense to take the best one available at this pick. Smith can lead the Oakland defense for the next five to ten years as one of the better linebackers in the entire league.

It will be tempting to select players like Derwin James or Josh Jackson here, but combine the need at the position with Smith’s seemingly limitless potential and there is no question who the Oakland Raiders should pick.

Kevin’s first round pick (#10): Maurice Hurst Jr., DT

Some will undoubtedly say taking Hurst is a reach at tenth overall, their need for a big, explosive body up front makes adding a defensive tackle here almost a necessity.

Though Tremaine Edmunds and/or Roquan Smith have been most commonly linked to Oakland in most mocks, both GM Reggie McKenzie and DC Paul Geunther have a philosophical opposition to taking a linebacker so high in the draft, believing they can find gems in the later rounds.

Also, given the San Francisco 49ers sudden need for a linebacker in the wake of Reuben Foster‘s legal situation, it’s entirely possible that Edmunds and/or Smith are gone by the time the Raiders are on the clock.

Providing some help for Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin by adding a disruptive body in the middle, who can collapse the pocket is vital for this Raiders defense. And Justin Ellis, as stout a run stopper as he is, is not that guy.

Though Vita Vea may be the name at the top of the board for defensive tackles, Hurst may prove to be the better prospect long term. Given their need to help Mack and Irvin by adding some interior pressure, Oakland will snap Hurst up.