Oakland Raiders: Realistic options at No. 4 during the 2019 NFL Draft
By Kevin Saito
The Oakland Raiders own the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. With a plethora of needs to address, here are five prospects they must consider.
The Oakland Raiders closed out a horribly disappointing and highly frustrating 2018 campaign by getting absolutely waxed by the Kansas City Chiefs. Given how the rest of the season played out though, the end of it seemed kind of predictable (if not fitting) as the Raiders failed miserably in all three phases of the game.
But hope always springs eternal and with some solid talent still on the roster, a ton of cap space, and three first-round draft picks to put into play, if they can maximize the return on all three of those factors, the 2019 campaign could look a whole lot different for the Silver and Black.
With teams that missed the playoffs in a given year making it the following season and other teams going from worst to first in their division, if the Raiders can strike gold in free agency and the draft, it’s not inconceivable that the Raiders could punch a ticket to the postseason dance next season – just look at the Indianapolis Colts from last year to this year to illustrate the point.
The trick is to win free agency and the draft – two areas in which the Raiders have had mixed results the last few years. That’s putting it lightly.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
However, considering new general manager Mike Mayock’s sterling reputation for evaluating young talent, fans should take heart. After all, for all of the good things former GM Reggie McKenzie did for this organization, talent evaluation wasn’t one of his strong suits.
Though they did knock some of their picks out of the park, McKenzie’s personnel department missed on far more than they hit on. In part, that lack of legitimate playmakers led to the 39-70 record the Raiders endured during McKenzie’s tenure as GM.
And as a result of the less-than-stellar talent evaluation by McKenzie and Oakland’s scouting department, they put the team at a competitive disadvantage. It left a lot of glaring holes in this roster.
That’s something Gruden and Mayock will be looking to address, and they have plenty of draft capital with which to do it. With three first-round picks, they’ll be able to load up on some premier talent during the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Raiders have a plethora of needs, but maybe none more so than an elite edge rusher to complement Arden Key. But, with it being a near certainty that Nick Bosa – a player who could have been a real game changer for this franchise – will be gone by the time the Raiders are on the clock at No. 4, they’re going to need to look elsewhere.
More. Revisiting Reggie McKenzie's laughable draft history. light
So, let’s take a look at some realistic options the Gruden/Mayock brain trust should give the utmost consideration to before they turn in their pick…