The Oakland Raiders could be one team that trades their pick to move down in the NFL draft this year, as GM Reggie McKenzie likes Johnny Manziel, Sammy Watkins and Jadeveon Clowney as top five picks, but if those names are off the board by the time the Raiders hit the clock, they could trade down, as head coach Dennis Allen has raved about wideout Mike Evans and he could be in the mix in the middle of the first round.
The Raiders are coming into the draft with a number of needs on both sides of the ball and as they prepare for that, the team is also looking to traded backup quarterback Terrelle Pryor and that could come ahead of the event in May, which is still three weeks away. According to ESPN.com, the Raiders are trying to make a last push to trade Pryor and this comes after the quarterback requested to be traded or released after the team acquired Matt Schaub from the Houston Texans. According to Pro Football Talk, the Raiders are looking to trade Pryor ahead of the draft and they will likely stick with Matt McGloin as Schaub's backup.
The Raiders used Pryor and McGloin at quarterback last season and Pryor played in 11 games and started nine last season and while he was up and down as a passer, he set a record for the franchise with nearly 600 rushing yards as a QB. The Raiders want to employ a more drop back offense and that means Pryor is the odd man out. What the team does with Pryor could affect how they handle the draft, as the team has just six picks this season after making the trade for Schaub and the deal for Matt Flynn last year.
Trading Pryor could net the team a pick and that could give them more flexibility to move around in the draft. The team has depth issues in spots despite signing a bunch of players in free agency and if names like Clowney, Watkins and Manziel are gone when they pick at number five, McKenzie could move down and still get a solid player. Last season McKenzie did just that and he says that the Raiders moving from three to number 12 with the Miami Dolphins still got them the player they wanted all along in DJ Hayden.
The team loves what they have seen in Watkins, who is 6-foot-1, 211 pound speed freak and he was very productive in college with Clemson, going for 101 catches and 1,464 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. If the team misses on Watkins and Clowney, look for them to target Mike Evans, as he is one of the top receivers in the draft. The team signed James Jones, but they need more weapons for Schaub and Evans is a physical beast and he averaged 20 yards per catch last season for the Aggies while playing with Manziel.