Reggie McKenzie believes teams should draft for the future and not the present. The Oakland Raiders have only started trusting in that philosophy lately, shying away from first-round quarterbacks and solving depth issues instead. That method will be taken once again in 2014, unless a certain player or two are available. If not, McKenzie says the No. 5 draft pick is officially for sale.
The Raiders have completely shied away from the idea of drafting a quarterback like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles if it involves trading up for them. The same goes for Jadeveon Clowney. McKenzie is not interested in giving up draft picks, instead focusing on gaining them if possible. According to Ian Rapoport, McKenzie said the Raiders' phone lines are open when it comes to trades, but only moves down unless Sammy Watkins or Manziel is available.
The Raiders made several key moves in the offseason that make a trade down an excellent option. They acquired Matt Schaub to start at quarterback. They signed Maurice Jones-Drew to help with depth. They signed two marquee defensive stars. The need to draft at No. 5 is not great and McKenzie is ready to pull the trigger on a trade to acquire more picks in later round to again, build for the future. However, there are players that could change that plan.
Oakland needs a premier wide receiver. They have several average targets, but no one that stands out as the assumed No. 1 go-to guy. There are wide receivers in the draft that present that type of talent, first and foremost, Sammy Watkins. According to RaidersBeat.com, if Watkins is around at No. 5, the Raiders will stay put and draft him. If he is off the board to either St. Louis or Jacksonville, the Raiders will hope a trade presents itself.
Watkins is drawing comparisons to a lot of the current greats including AJ Green and Julio Jones. He is big and physical and excels at the deep ball. McKenzie hinted that the team will draft a great receiver if available instead of waiting on a good receiver in later rounds. Watkins fits the category of "great".
If Watkins is off the board, there are still several quality options for the Raiders to look at. Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr and Marqise Lee are all considered possible first-round options and will still be quality playmakers in their own rights.