Dave Ziegler isn’t afraid to be aggressive in the trade market
Long before the draft even started, the Raiders were making moves with draft picks, sending their first and second rounders to Green Bay for Davante Adams. This may be a one-time thing, the result of circumstances. After all, how often will one of the best wide receivers in the game turn down more money to force a trade to your team because he played college ball with your quarterback?
But while Ziegler may not be going full Les Snead, he showed he isn’t going to clutch pearls when it comes to using draft picks to make major upgrades via trade. On Day 3 of the draft, Ziegler doubled down on his willingness to use draft capital to target players he values when he traded up in the fourth round to grab running back Zamir White and then traded back into the fourth round for defensive tackle Neil Farrell. He also showed a willingness to be patient when he traded back in the third round before taking offensive lineman Dylan Parham. The Raiders were not going to be left out of the action during a draft weekend filled with trades.
McDaniels appears ready to continue his zig
It would appear that the Raiders, under McDaniels, plan to zig while the NFL zags by investing heavily in the run game. The Patriots did this a year ago, running the ball the eighth most of any team in the NFL. With many defenses investing heavily in sub package personnel and light coverage linebackers, McDaniels established a top ten run game with a group of no-name running backs last season.
Before the offseason started, the Raiders were already heavily invested in the running back position, with both Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake on the roster. Then, during free agency, the Raiders added two more running backs in Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah. And to cap the offseason, they drafted not one, but two running backs over the weekend in Zamir White and Brittain Brown. And as was noted above, they traded up in order to make sure they could get White.
Raiders: Best player available is a subjective idea
Seeing how the draft plays out versus how mock drafts predicted it would play out should be enough to tell you that the value of a player in the draft is completely subjective. And McDaniels discussed how subjective draft evaluations are after the draft.
I asked @Raiders coach Josh McDaniels how much discipline is required to adhere to a self mandate of drafting the highest graded player left on the board over roster need. His answer is one Raiders fans should get used to. And it’s interesting:
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) May 1, 2022
How did the Raiders address their needs?
Heading into the draft, the biggest needs for the Raiders were the offensive line, interior defensive line, and secondary. In the draft, they took two offensive linemen, two interior defensive linemen, and two running backs. Now one might point to the backs as evidence of the Raiders’ using a pure BPA strategy, but as I discussed above, with the free agency moves and with the decision not to exercise the fifth-year option for Josh Jacobs, they have focused heavily on getting their kind of running backs onto the roster.
Plus, the Patriots carried five running backs on their roster last season when you include the fullback, so there’s a chance the Raiders did the same, and if so, they needed to bring more backs in or there would be very little competition. And while the secondary still appears to be a need, it’s based on talent, not a lack of bodies. They have 13 defensive backs under contract already, including two corners that were added to the roster this offseason.
So, once again considering usage, perhaps the idea of adding more guys to an already crowded group wouldn’t be wise and instead they should see what they have with the group on the roster now and punt on making any more upgrades until next offseason.
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*Top Photo: Courtesy of Memphis Athletics