Raider Nation seems to have been having quite the debate among themselves this offseason. That debate is, does it make more sense for the Las Vegas Raiders to spend their sixth-overall selection on Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty or Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan? Both players play a position Sin City could use an upgrade at. And, either of the two instantly elevate the team’s offense if added to the roster.
So, who makes more sense?
Well, that depends on who you ask. If you ask Raider Nation, you’d fail to get a conclusive answer. However, if you were to ask the draft analysts who work at both NFL Network and ESPN, you’d get a unanimous decision.
The likes of Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, and all of their draft analyst colleagues agree on at least one thing: Ashton Jeanty makes the most sense for the Raiders. To the point that Jeanty is the only pick outside of the top-three that all have mocked to the same team at the same pick during their latest mocks put out this week.
That’s not the same respect McMillan is getting; not by a long shot.
Las Vegas Raiders mock draft talk: Ashton Jeanty, or Tetairoa McMillan?
While Jeanty is the unanimous sixth-overall pick in all mock drafts put out by both NFL Network and ESPN draft analysts this week, McMillan isn’t in the top-16 of any mock. In fact, Jeremiah and McShay both have another wide receiver coming off the board before McMillan.
That’s Matthew Golden, who each of the two have going to the Dallas Cowboys at pick 12.
As for McMillan, Jeremiah has him falling to 20 while McShay has the Arizona wideout dropping all the way to 27. All others have mocked the 21-year-old between picks 18 and 20.
If you’re on the side that hopes the Raiders roll with McMillan, this may be music to your ears. Insider draft analysts are becoming aware that his draft stock isn’t as high as they once thought it was. This means, although the Raiders likely won’t grab the Arizona star at pick six, if Las Vegas’ front office likes him enough, it’s not unreasonable for the team to trade back into the late-first, securing Ashton Jeanty and Terairoa McMillan.
Truthfully, the above is a long-shot, but not impossible as McMillan continues to fall. But who knows; perhaps McMillan will continue falling, making the odds of Las Vegas landing both gradually increase.
For now, it seems information has led insider draft analysts to the conclusion the Raiders will be selecting Jeanty at six. That’s what the stars always seemed to be lining up for anyway, as I wrote almost two weeks ago. But maybe that changes as the draft gets closer. Nothing is set in stone–the draft itself is still an entire month away, after all.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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