Following the Davante Adams trade, the Las Vegas Raiders will not have many picks to work with during this year’s NFL Draft. General manager Dave Ziegler could fix this by working some trade magic. Here are some possible options he would have had. All trades here were tested by the trade feature on the Pro Football Focus Mock Draft Simulator at the beginning of the mock draft.
PSA: Darren Waller Won’t be Traded
Rumors have been flying about the possibility of Waller being traded before the draft. The idea is that the Raiders would rather move Waller for picks than extend him. One of the main teams purportedly interested in Waller is the Green Bay Packers. I tried to make a trade with Green Bay on the simulator, and the best trade I could get done was this: the Raiders received their own second-round pick (#53) in exchange for Waller and their fourth-round pick (126). That’s not a great return for one of the league’s elite tight ends. One would think a player of Waller’s caliber would garner at least a top 50 pick straight up. There was no such deal to be found anywhere on the simulator.
Now, Pro Football Focus’s valuation of the Raiders’ tight end might be quite different from that of front offices around the league. It only takes one team to make an offer that Ziegler can’t refuse. That being said, I think it would take a big offer to make the Raiders give up such a dangerous weapon. Yes, Waller is due an extension that will likely pay him top dollar into his mid-thirties, but he is still under a reasonable contract for the next two years. The Raiders appear to be in a “win now” mindset after the Adams trade, so the next two years should be prioritized over the future. The only scenario that could change things would be if Waller were to hold out, but there are no signs of that thus far.
Raiders trade scenario No. 1 – Bryan Edwards to the Bears
- Raiders receive: CHI 3rd (71), HOU 5th (148), CHI 6th (186)
- Bears receive: LV 3rd (86) and Bryan Edwards
The Adams trade has turned Edwards into an afterthought. He would essentially be the fourth option in the Vegas passing attack. That is not an ideal role for a former third-round pick, as he will be lucky to play more than half of the offensive snaps this season. That is poor value for the Raiders, and it would likely frustrate Edwards himself. Rather than bury him on the depth chart and allow him to become a malcontent, the Raiders may be better off parting ways with the South Carolina product.
The compensation here is not great. The Raiders essentially move up 15 picks in the third round and add two picks on Day 3. Nevertheless, there is significant value. A lot of talent is going to come off the board between picks 71 and 86. This could be the difference between having a bevy of great options to meet a specific need, such as offensive tackle, and settling for the best player available, who may not be the best fit. Also, simply increasing the number of picks the team has at its disposal gives them much more flexibility. Heck, they could even use this newfound draft capital to move up from 71.
For Chicago, they add a wide receiver to what is currently a weak group for the small price of moving back in the third round and a couple of Day 3 picks.
Raiders trade scenario No. 2 – Johnathan Abram to the Texans
- Raiders receive: HOU 3rd (68)
- Texans receive: LV 4th (126) and Jonathan Abram
This would be a huge win for the Raiders. Abram has been a colossal disappointment. He is constantly getting hurt due to his reckless style of play, which also makes him pretty one-dimensional when he is healthy. On top of that, he has a cap hit of over $3 million this season. The money saved in this trade could be used to sign someone like Tyrann Mathieu, who would be a significant upgrade at the position.
The value the Raiders are getting for Abram is pretty solid here. They move up 56 picks, which is almost two full rounds. This gives them two picks in the third round. Those could potentially add two starters or be parlayed into a top 50 pick. That is not too shabby for a guy that likely won’t be on the roster in 12 months.
PFF actually lists the Texans’ needs as “every position.” This gives them a starting caliber player without having to actually lose a pick.
Raiders trade scenario No. 3 – Trayvon Mullen to the Ravens
- Raiders receive: BAL 1st (14), BAL 4th (100), NYG 4th (110), BAL 2023 2nd
- Ravens receive: LV 3rd (86), LV 2023 1st, LV 2023 2nd, and Trayvon Mullen
If the Raiders want one of the top players in this year’s draft, they will have to give up a fair amount. Mullen becomes the sacrificial lamb here. He has been a solid corner for the Silver and Black over the first three years of his career. Still, it does not seem like he is ever going to become one of the game’s elite cover corners. This trade gives the Raiders an opportunity to get one of those guys. By moving up to 14, Vegas would be in a good position to land Derek Stingley Jr., Ahmad Gardner, or Trent McDuffie.
The compensation is not bad here either. This is especially true if you believe that the Raiders will be the better team next season, which I do. Basically, the Raiders swap their first next year, which would likely be lower than 14, for a first this year, swap second round picks next year with Baltimore, and they exchange their third for two fourths. The cost of this is giving up Mullen. This is one of those situations where the Raiders could look silly. However, if the pick the Raiders make turns into a perennial Pro Bowler, the trade will look like a steal.
Why would the Ravens pull the trigger on such a deal?
As to why Baltimore might do this: The Ravens get a starting corner in exchange for some pick swaps. For this trade to work, they have to believe that they will be better than the Raiders next year. It is reasonable to think they would believe that. Baltimore’s front office likely believes that their team underperformed last year, and they weren’t that far behind Vegas then. Couple that with the fact that they’re taking away a player from the Raiders, and this seems like a great trade for them.
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*Top Photo: Jeff Haynes/Associated Press