Now that the “frenzy” stage of free agency is winding down, it is a great time to reassess the Las Vegas Raiders‘ options regarding the draft. Traditional mock drafts can grow stale, especially when Las Vegas’ first-round pick is already a foregone conclusion. Instead, we will focus on what the Raiders could do with their second-round pick. To explore those possibilities, we fired up Draft Professor’s Fanatic Mode and ran through a wide range of scenarios.
Today, we will examine five different directions John Spytek and company could go with the 36th pick in the draft.
Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
If Hunter is on the board at 36, Las Vegas should sprint the card in. At 6 feet 3 inches and 318 pounds, Hunter is a behemoth with astonishing quickness off the snap for someone his size. He pairs that with a 6-foot-9 wingspan that allows him to stonewall opposing offensive linemen at the point of attack while he reads and reacts to the ball.
The reason Hunter might be available on Day 2 is that he is already 24 years old and still fairly raw in terms of technique. Nevertheless, his physical tools should still command double teams on most plays at the next level, which would be a huge asset in the middle of the Raiders’ front seven.
If Las Vegas feels solid with what it has up front, the team could always look to bolster the secondary…
Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
This may not be the biggest position of need for Las Vegas, but it’s not like there isn’t room for improvement here. Darien Porter has yet to fully establish himself and Eric Stokes is not exactly a superstar. Adding Hood would certainly beef up the cornerback room. He is an absolute stud in press man coverage.
Hood brings a level of violence to the position that harkens back to the great Raider corners of the past. If the plan is to play an aggressive 3-4 defense with a lot of press coverage, this could be a great addition.
If the Raiders feel like they need to address a different part of the secondary, there is another option…
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Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, DB, Toledo
New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak witnessed firsthand during his time in Seattle last year the value of a long and rangy safety who can get downhill. While McNeil Warren may not quite be the physical specimen that Nick Emmanwori is, he would still bring plenty of playmaking ability to the Las Vegas defense. As with the previous option, this pick would give the Raiders an opportunity to add more physicality to the secondary.
If Las Vegas opts to wait until later in the draft to address its defensive needs, the team could instead use this pick to give its new quarterback another weapon.
Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee
The Raiders still do not have a true X receiver who can give opposing defenses headaches on the outside. Enter Brazzell. The Tennessee pass catcher boasts an impressive combination of size and speed that would help Las Vegas stretch the field vertically. One might wonder whether the Raiders already have a similar player in Dont’e Thornton, who also came out of Tennessee with comparable physical gifts.
However, Brazzell is already a considerably more polished route runner. While big and athletic corners may give him some trouble against press coverage, that simply means opposing defenses would have to divert attention away from Brock Bowers, who remains the clear No. 1 receiver. Brazzell is exactly the kind of boundary X receiver that an offense constructed like the Raiders’ needs to reach its ceiling.
If the team decides that wide receiver is too much of a luxury pick at this stage, it could instead look to solidify a unit that was arguably the worst in the league last season.
Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Before going further, it is worth acknowledging that Proctor is unlikely to fall this far. However, there seems to be a surprisingly low level of buzz surrounding a tackle who is this large and athletic with three years of starting experience in the SEC. There is a chance that teams see too much of Mekhi Becton in his profile and he slips out of the first round.
If available, Las Vegas could hit the jackpot. Proctor would immediately push DJ Glaze hard for the starting right tackle job, and even if he fails to win that role, the Raiders would have themselves a formidable option at left guard.
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