The Oakland Raiders are coming into the draft with a number of needs, but if it were up for former coach Jon Gruden, he would pick Johnny Manziel with the number five selection and for the Raiders that could be over names like Blake Bortles or Jadeveon Clowney, while Reggie McKenzie may also look at a trade if the players they want is not available.
The Raiders have been tied to a number of players in the draft already and Manziel is one name that has continued to come up, as Gruden has speculated that the team would be a good fit for him. Some players have suggested Al Davis would approve of that pick and heading into the event, the team could look at Manziel or Blake Bortles as their top quarterback options. ESPN.com spoke with Gruden and he said that if he was still a coach he would take Manziel and he praised his abilities on the field and his skills at being a leader and running an offense. McKenzie has some big decisions to make and some rumors have the team trading out of their fifth overall pick.
The draft this year is very deep and a number of teams could look to trade down and get value for their picks and the Raiders are one of them. The team needs a quarterback, but they have Matt Schaub for this season and Manziel or Bortles could be a pick for the future. Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack and Jadeveon Clowney are all targets for the team as well and if none of those players are available after the Browns pick at number four, expect the Raiders to either take Manziel or trade down.
McKenzie and the Raiders traded down last season with the Miami Dolphins and then picked DJ Hayden with the number 12 pick and the GM said that the team had planned on taking the corner all along. Taking him at 12 made more sense than at three, as the value is not the same and now the team could weigh a similar option. Manziel was explosive in college, but many have wondered if his size and skills can translate into the NFL, which is something that Gruden said he should not have a problem with, especially after he had nearly 100 touchdowns while in college.
The Raiders have seen a ton of quarterbacks in the draft, including Manziel and Bortles as well as lesser heralded players like Tom Savage and David Fales. The team also could look at names like Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger or AJ McCarron later in the draft. The Raiders come into the event with seven picks and they have the chance to make some moves at the top. The team went 4-12 for the second straight season and now they have a chance to add a high impact player to the roster.