Happy NFL Draft eve, to all those who celebrate. For me, I will celebrate when we get some certainty after months of speculation. That being said, the buzz is heating up as we approach the draft and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini put out a couple of hot nuggets of buzz that revolved around the Raiders’ plans at six overall.
First up, with all the talk about the Raiders moving down from six, Russini says the Raiders are interested in a particular player who, if available, they would look to move UP to get them.
The Jaguars (5) and Raiders (6) have expressed interest in moving up, I’m told, if the player they want is available. In fact, I was told the Jaguars are hoping to keep this draft “electric” with the first-year tandem of head coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone, and an offensive player is on their radar. Jacksonville is also open to moving out for the right trade offer.
Obviously, if both the Jaguars and Raiders are looking to move up, the Jaguars would have the edge considering they have the higher pick. But do they both have the same player in mind?
What player either or both teams likes that would have them making this jump is not known. The consensus top four picks in this draft would be QB Cam Ward, WR Travis Hunter, DE Abdul Carter, and OT Will Campbell. So, you’d kinda figure it would be one of those guys, unless the Raiders are seeing something in NFL circles the draft community is not and want to make sure they don’t get jumped in order to ensure they get who they want.
Russini had more buzz about the Raiders. And it involved who they would consider should they stick at six.
The Raiders, led by first-time general manager John Spytek, spent substantial time doing homework on Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, but strong cases are being made in their draft room to go offensive line instead.
Spytek joked recently about his son wanting them to take Jeanty, but that his son views everything from a fantasy football perspective. Spytek was at Jeanty’s pro day and the majority of mock drafts have Jeanty as the Raiders’ pick at six.
Jeanty is in a class by himself in this draft class. However the position is deep. And the more practical approach would be offensive line. At six overall, that would mean a tackle. The top tackles in this draft at LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou, and Texas’s Kelvin Banks Jr. And the order of these three seems to change based on who you ask.
Guard is also a position that could use an upgrade and if the Raiders were to not draft an offensive lineman at six, guard becomes a possibility starting with their pick at 37. That’s the direction I went in my Raiders seven-round mock draft.
