The Oakland Raiders have had a very busy offseason this year and after signing a ton of free agents, the team could look to trade quarterback Terrelle Pryor ahead of the draft and teams like the Cleveland Browns, Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills could be in the mix, especially if the team opts to draft someone like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater.
The Raiders have been spending big this offseason after coming in with a record amount of cap space and while they didn't make any huge splashes, Reggie McKenzie added a ton of players at need positions, including Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley and Tarrell Brown and that helped with the losses of Lamar Houston and Tracy Porter as well as Vance Walker and now heading into the draft the team can add even more. Reggie McKenzie has had some questions thrown at him, including why he allowed Houston and Jared Veldheer to leave along with the Rodger Saffold debacle, but he recovered by signing Austin Howard and now the team should have an improved offensive line heading into the season.
According to ESPN.com, Johnny Manziel is visiting with the Raiders and while the team may not end up picking a quarterback after trading for Matt Schaub, the team still could conceivably snag one with the number five overall pick. Adding Manziel with Schaub already in the fold could actually be a smart decision, as Manziel likely needs some time to work behind someone to get used to the NFL anyway. The report says that Manziel will visit with the Raiders for multiple days and it comes after he previously visited with the New England Patriots.
Manziel is considered to be one of the top prospects in the draft and he is ranked in the top group along with Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles among the quarterbacks. Manziel has a high upside, but there is a chance that his size will not translate to the NFL and the way he plays the game is an improvisational style that some have questioned. Manziel could be in the mix for a number of teams, including the Houston Texans, Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and the Raiders.
The team traded a draft pick for Matt Schaub and McKenzie feels that this move is better than what they did with Matt Flynn last season, as Schaub is more established from his time with the Texans. Last season the team used Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin over Matt Flynn and they went 4-12 for the second year in a row. Manziel comes in after passing for 4114 yards and 37 touchdowns, while in 2012 he passed for 3,700 yards and 26 scores and while he rushed for over 1,400 yards in 2012, he lowered that last season as he prepared to leave college for the pros and he improved his completion percentage as well.
The team could look to trade Pryor to help get more draft picks, as the team has just six after making moves with the Schaub and Flynn deals and that could be an option for McKenzie. The Browns have a surplus of picks this season after making moves last year and they could be in the mix, as they got rid of Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell from last season.