The Las Vegas Raiders have several glaring needs at wide receiver and linebacker, that’s nothing new. Yet, NFL writer Mike Freeman recently had the team take an offensive tackle first in his latest mock scenario.
A tackle? Seriously?
Offensive tackle? Yes, you read that correctly. This is not a knock on Freeman nor on Tristan Wirfs from Iowa, but there’s no way the Raiders would do this, right? Regarding the selection itself, Freeman shared an NFC coach’s thoughts:
If Brady doesn’t re-sign with New England, this is where I believe he’ll end up.
Coach’s take: “What I feel pretty confident about is I’d be stunned if [quarterback] Derek Carr was the starter next season.”
So in other words, if Tom Brady does indeed sign with the Raiders, he’ll need more protection? Interesting take. It’s intriguing because Las Vegas is actually quite formidable at tackle, thanks to Kolton Miller and Trent Brown. Even more amusing is the notion that this coach truly believes quarterback Derek Carr won’t be the starter next season.
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What about the 19th pick?
In Freeman’s mock, the Silver and Black take a linebacker, which is a more logical choice, with the 19th pick. Patrick Queen from LSU would go to the Raiders here. The coach does make a good point; a lot of focus is put on Jon Gruden, but the defense is quietly being put together. The defensive line for example, is already quite menacing, but the linebacker corps is in serious need of reinforcements as we all know.
Coach: “We focus a lot on [Jon] Gruden and that offense, but they are actually building a solid defense.”
Raider Nation will no doubt will have a lot to say regarding this scenario, if not for the shocking picks that Freeman proposes here.
Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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