The Oakland Raiders may trade down in the NFL draft and teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants could be in the mix to make a deal and Reggie McKenzie may look to trade if targets like Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack or Greg Robinson are picked by the time they select at number five.
ESPN.com reports that general manager Reggie McKenzie sees four "elite" players in the draft and they include those names mentioned above, with the Raiders looking at Mack and Watkins as the top options, while Clowney would be a bonus if he falls to five. Clowney is likely going to be the number one pick and if he fall's past two, someone will jump up to get him. Robinson is considered to be the best offensive line prospect and if he is taken as well, the Raiders could move down to take Jake Matthews or Mike Evans with a later pick in the top 10. The team is not worried about losing out on those players, but they would love it if one slipped to number five.
The Oakland Raiders are not afraid to trade during the draft and they moved out of the top three last season with the Miami Dolphins, but that draft was not as top heavy as this one. Last year the Dolphins move up from number 12 to number three in the draft and took Dion Jordan, while the Raiders moved out of the top 10 and they took DJ Hayden, the player Reggie McKenzie said that the team wanted all along.
This year the draft has some elite names at the top, but the Raiders will have to decide how worth it the pick will be if the four players they want the most are selected by the time they pick at number five. If that situation plays out, expect the Raiders to make a deal with someone, as they could still get a high impact player out of the top 10 or farther down in the first 10 picks, including names like Mike Evans, Aaron Donald or Jake Matthews, who could be an option if Greg Robinson is gone.
The Raiders come into the draft with just seven picks and that is because they traded their fifth and sixth round picks for Matt Flynn and Matt Schaub last year and after this season. The team gained an extra seventh round pick in the Terrelle Pryor deal and one from the Carson Palmer deal and since they have just four picks in the first four rounds and then three in the last round, don't be surprised if McKenzie angles to move back to pick up another selection or two.
The Raiders were just 4-12 last season with Matt McGloin and Terrelle Pryor splitting time at quarterback and while they each played well at times, it wasn't enough to take hold of the position and now the team has Schaub as their starter. McKenzie made a number of free agent signings this year and while the Raiders are coming in with the highest opponents win percentage in the league, they have the chance to be much improved. The team added Austin Howard and Kevin Boothe to the offensive line after losing Jared Veldheer and they also brought in Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley after losing Lamar Houston and adding James jones should help the younger receivers develop as well.
