Raiders

Raiders Have Superb Rebuild In Recent NFL Media Mock Draft

In a recent NFL.com mock scenario, the Las Vegas Raiders are able to successfully plug some holes that are causing concern.

To say the Raiders must nail the 2021 NFL draft is an understatement. The first-round picks under the current Jon Gruden-led brain trust haven’t exactly been home runs. Clelin Ferrell is a solid player but he won’t be winning any All-Pro nods anytime soon and both Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette had underwhelming seasons. Nevertheless, not all is lost. ‘Cle’ should thrive under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Likewise, if Arnette’s fully healthy, there’s no reason to think he can’t develop into a solid cornerback. Unfortunately, a series of trades and cuts have left the Raiders with several weaknesses on their roster.

While the defensive end position appears to be solidified, the same can’t be said for right tackle and safety. Chad Reuter of NFL Media recently published a four-round mock covering the entire league and proposed a noteworthy scenario for the Raiders.

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Four Round Scenario For The Raiders

Round 1: Christian Darrisaw, OT
Round 2: Jevon Holland, S

Right out of the gate, Reuter has the Raiders taking Christian Darrisaw with the 17th selection. If the Virginia Tech standout does indeed fall to that slot, Las Vegas has to pull the trigger. The 6-foot-5 and 314-pound offensive tackle received excellent Pro Football Focus grades across the board. His 94.5 run-blocking grade should bode well for a Raiders team trying to re-establish their run game dominance.

Round 3: Kelvin Joseph, CB & Dylan Moses, LB
Round 4: Aaron Banks, G

The second-round pick for Gruden is the Oregon safety, Jevon Holland. As of right now, the Raiders have holes in their defensive backfield that need addressing. Picking up Holland will help shore up the safety position but Las Vegas doesn’t stop there. In addition to Holland, the team adds a cornerback in Kelvin Joseph with one of their two third-round picks. Joseph posted solid PFF numbers in coverage, he was graded 70.7 for 2020. Adding Dylan Moses to a young linebacker group consisting of Nicholas Morrow, Cory Littleton, and Nick Kwiatkoski is very interesting. Using a fourth-round selection on a guard also makes sense when you consider Richie Incognito isn’t getting any younger.

This is just one plausible scenario out of a thousand but what are your thoughts, Raider Nation? How do you feel about this haul?

You May Also Like: Raiders Draft Prospect Rankings: Wide Receiver Class Is Loaded

*Top Photo: Charlie Niebergall/Associated Press

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2 thoughts on “Raiders Have Superb Rebuild In Recent NFL Media Mock Draft”

  1. It looks like a fine draft if things fall this way, especially the first two picks. A few observations:
    1. In round 3 I like the selection of a cb, but I might push the linebacker selection back to round 4, as there are likely to be some very good guards available in the third. The Raiders guards are very suspect given that Incognito is old and coming off an Achilles injury, Good is very mediocre, and Simpson did not look ready last year.
    2. I’m a little leery of Kelvin Joseph, given his transfer from LSU due to team rule violations and a lack of discipline on the field with penalties and undisciplined plays. Maybe Paulson Adebo would be a better choice. As we have seen with Abram, undisciplined players are death to a defense.
    In general, though, these are quibbles. If the Raiders’ draft looks like this next month, I think it’s a win. Especially the first two picks.

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