On Thursday, April 28th, the Las Vegas Raiders and 31 other teams will all get an opportunity to upgrade their teams as the NFL draft kicks off. The Raiders play in one of, if not the best, divisions in football. Therefore, general manager Dave Ziegler is going to need to nail these picks if the Raiders want to compete in this competitive division. Here are three players who would be excellent additions to the Silver and Black.
Raiders 2022 3-Round NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, #22 Overall: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Yes, defense is important when you’re forced to play a combination of Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Russell Wilson six times a year. Still, if you can’t keep up on offense, what’s the point? We all saw how much the offense struggled at times down the home stretch last season, and a big reason for that was their lack of a true #1 wide receiver.
Chris Olave would immediately fix that problem. Olave is one of the most well-rounded players in the draft, and he would make an instant impact on Josh McDaniels’ offense. Olave is fast, as evidenced by his 2.39 40-yard dash at the recent combine. He’s a great route runner, has terrific hands, and numerous other traits. Chris has all the skills needed to flourish at the NFL level, and he would patch up a lot of issues in the Raiders’ offense.
Round 2, #53 Overall: Travon Walker, DT, Georgia
The interior defensive line will definitely be something for the Raiders to address this offseason. Travon Walker is an excellent candidate to do just that. Walker’s stock was boosted by a terrific showing at the combine, where he ran an impressive 4.5 40-yard dash. Even more impressive, considering the 272 pounds he was carrying around.
Walker has excellent skills and is athletic. He knows how to use his body and uses his leverage quite well. Walker also has tremendous balance, and it’s rare to see an offensive lineman knock him off of that. However, Travon doesn’t have the quickest first step, and his pad level is still a bit too high. Both of those can be improved at the NFL level, though. After his combine showing, Walker seems to be projected around the middle of the second round, which happens to be near the Raiders’ pick.
Round 3: #86 Overall: Jermaine Waller, CB, Virginia Tech
When you’re in a division featuring the likes of Mahomes, Wilson, and Herbert, if you want any chance of competing, you’re going to need to have a strong secondary. Casey Hayward Jr. is a free agent, and with a new defensive scheme, the likelihood of him returning isn’t as high as some would hope. Las Vegas still has Nate Hobbs and Trayvon Mullen, but with Mullen’s injury history, it would be wise to use some draft capital at that position.
The main reason Waller should be selected is because of his deep ball skills and versatility. He can play well in any zone or man-coverage situation, which makes him useful in many areas for the Raiders. Every quarterback in the Raiders’ division loves to throw deep. They have all proven deep threats at receiver as well. Waller has tremendous ball skills and thrives in these one-on-one deep ball situations, making him an excellent choice for the Raiders in the third round.
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*Top Photo: AP Photo/Jay LaPrete