A look ahead to day two of the draft for the Raiders

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on May 9, 2014


Round one of the 2014 NFL Draft has come to a close and the Raiders seem to have gotten “their” guy in linebacker Khalil Mack, but the draft is far from over.

NFL teams return to Radio City Music Hall Friday for rounds two and three, where the Raiders are slated to select fourth tomorrow (36th overall) and third in the third round (67th overall). There’s no doubt that the Raiders can get some quality football players there, should they decide not to move via a trade.

One possible route for the Raiders is to look at taking a quarterback with their second-round selection, possibly Fresno State’s Derek Carr if the Texans don’t select him first thing tomorrow. There have been numerous reports that Raiders owner Mark Davis is enamored with Carr’s skill set, but if Texans want to take him there’s not much they can do about it now since there’s nobody to trade with to get ahead of them.

Other possible quarterbacks that the Raiders could target tomorrow include Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage and Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo, though they may not make it to the Raiders third-round pick. If Carr does go to the Texans, the Raiders may be more open to trading down and accumulating more picks and possibly taking Garoppolo or Savage more towards the middle of the second round if they think they won’t be around in the third round.

Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders front office could instead look to obtain a desperately-needed wide receiver after missing out on Sammy Watkins in the first round.

USC’s Marqise Lee is arguably the best wide receiver remaining when tomorrow’s rounds start, but if he gets taken there will still be solid potential number-one wide receivers available throughout the second and third rounds. Other wide receivers the Raiders may look at include Fresno State’s Davante  Adams, Indiana’s Cody Latimer, Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews, LSU’s Jarvis Landry, Penn State’s Allen Robinson, or South Carolina’s Bruce Ellington.

The Raiders may in fact decide to keep building the trenches by drafting another defensive lineman or offensive lineman.

On the offensive line, offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandijo of Alabama has the potential to become a solid starter in the near future. Offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo of UCLA is largely believed to be the best guard in the draft and the Raiders could decide to go that route, though it may be early.

There are many more defensive linemen that would have a strong impact on the team. The Raiders are thin at the defensive tackle position and Notre Dame’s Louis Nix and Florida State’s Timmy Jernigan lead the list of defensive tackles.

Like wide receivers, the Raiders will have a solid group of defensive ends to pick from if they choose to. Notre Dames Stephen Tuitt is an excellent pass rusher that has a rare combination of size and speed. Kony Ealy of Missouri is a speed rusher that would also provide the Raiders with the pass rush they are desiring, as would Oregon State’s Scott Crichton with his high-motor play.

The Raiders would certainly benefit from obtaining more picks if they trade down and accumulate more picks, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with taking their guy if he’s available when they pick just as they did with Mack.

One thing we do know for certain is that day two of the draft is set up to be just as exciting as day one. The picks start coming in at 4:00 p.m. PST, so tune in then to see what kind of madness may happen.