Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock will go into the NFL Draft in good shape all things considered. Praise notwithstanding, the team still needs help and in a recent mock, two weaknesses are addressed.
The Raiders defense as a whole was vastly improved, at least on paper. However, the backfield remains a question mark because of a perceived lack of depth. Last year’s first round pick, Johnathan Abram, should be back at full strength, Erik Harris played solid in stretches, and after much talk, Karl Joseph moved on.
Meanwhile, wide receiver is the other position that didn’t get any real upgrades in free agency. Nelson Agholor could prove to be a contributor down the stretch, but you could also argue he’ll just be a body for training camp. Regardless, the Raiders need a star number wide receiver and all signs point to them picking one in the draft.
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In a recent mock, Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports has the Raiders addressing both of these deficiencies in one swoop in the first round.
#12 Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
#19 Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
Fornelli explains McKinney is “the best safety in the class,” which might be true and if you plug him in this backfield, he’s an instant starter. As far as Jeudy, Fornelli states the following:
“There are receivers in this draft with higher ceilings than Jeudy, but I’m not sure there’s one in the class with a higher floor, or who is more ready to contribute right away than Jeudy.”
This first round scenario should make sense. However, it’s plausible to choose another receiver if you’re not crazy about Jeudy. Regardless, attacking the two biggest holes in the first round would be the intelligent route, we’ll have to wait and see what Mayock has up his sleeve.
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