We get pretty wrapped up in what the Raiders may or may not be doing in the draft around here. We are a Raiders blog
Jim Plunkett Jersey , after all. One of the common speculations is that the Raiders could trade down..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Raiders
StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Raiders NewsYahoo Raiders Team PageYahoo Raiders
ReportYahoo Raiders Depth ChartYahoo Raiders TransactionsYahoo Raiders
PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ?Raiders Draft 2019New
York Jets reportedly ‘determined’ to trade out of the number three spot ahead of
Raiders at 4New,136commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareNew York Jets reportedly
‘determined’ to trade out of the number three spot ahead of Raiders at 4Trevor
Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsWe get pretty wrapped up in what the Raiders may or
may not be doing in the draft around here. We are a Raiders blog, after all. One
of the common speculations is that the Raiders could trade down in the draft (my
2-round mock draft with trades for instance). But what if a team ahead of them
trades out of their spot? That’s just what the Jets are said to be ‘determined’
to do according to a source close to SNY.This will obviously affect the Raiders
at pick four, but how exactly will depend on who steps up to trade with the Jets
and which player they are trading up to get.Should the first two picks go as
many expect, QB Kyler Murray will be the Cardinals pick at number one overall,
followed by Nick Bosa to the 49ers with the second pick. The next pick, should
the Jets be selecting, is expected to be either Kentucky edge rusher Josh Allen
or Alabama DT Quinnen Williams. Most have Allen as the pick, which in turn has
Williams there for the Raiders as the best player on the board and therefore the
most logical pick should they stay at 4. Same would figure to be the case if
Allen were there.Neither player is the perfect merger of value, need, and fit.
The Raiders don’t have a glaring need at defensive tackle after drafting PJ Hall
and Maurice Hurst in last year’s draft and re-signing Johnathan Hankins. And
Allen played exclusively outside linebacker, rarely if ever playing with his
hand in the dirt as a defensive end as the Raiders deploy.Regardless, either
Allen or Williams could be considered a win for the Raiders. They could pick one
as the best player available or use that player as bait for a trade back, should
they find more value in that. That would also figure to make the Jets pick at
three that much more valuable in trade, because any team trading up could have
either one, increasing the number of potential partners.Best case scenario,
however, is a team trading up with the Jets for another player entirely. Like a
quarterback. Teams who could be looking to select a quarterback in this draft
(other than the Cardinals with the top pick) include the Giants at 6 and 17,
Broncos at 10, Bengals at 11, Dolphins at 13, and Washington at 15. Quarterbacks
who figure to go in the first round include Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock,
and Daniel Jones.Any trade that would involve a team jumping up to get a
quarterback with the Jets pick would presumably leave the Raiders with all but
Nick Bosa as an option at fourth overall.Follow @LeviDamien Up until a couple
weeks ago, the Raiders didn’t have a starting running back. Since then they
added Isaiah Crowell who has some 51 NFL starts under his belt and who averaged
4.8 yards per carry for..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Raiders
StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Raiders NewsYahoo Raiders Team PageYahoo Raiders
ReportYahoo Raiders Depth ChartYahoo Raiders TransactionsYahoo Raiders
PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ?Raiders Draft 2019Raider
draft radar 2019: Running backsNew,73commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareRaider draft
radar 2019: Running backsJay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsUp until a couple weeks
ago, the Raiders didn’t have a starting running back. Since then they added
Isaiah Crowell who has some 51 NFL starts under his belt and who averaged 4.8
yards per carry for the Jets last season. He may be able to be the starter in
Oakland, but as Mike Mayock noted, Crowell is on a one-year “prove-it” deal, so
he is not considered the long term answer at this time.Crowell should be a
valuable addition, but even with his starting experience
Charles Woodson Jersey , he has never been considered a true every-down workhorse back. The team has Jalen Richard, but Jon Gruden likes him mostly as a receiver
out of the backfield as opposed to part of a two-headed monster.The answer could
be in this draft. These guys best fit the bill.David Montgomery, Iowa St – Round
2-3Height: 5-10, Weight: 222 There is no running back in this class who has a
more impressive skillset top to bottom than David Montgomery. He has the size,
speed, agility, instincts, pass blocking, and yards after contact to be an every
down NFL starting running back. Not to mention, he had some breathtaking jukes
that made defenders look downright ridiculous. It wasn’t a now-and-then thing
either. He forced an incredible 100 missed tackles according to Pro Football
Focus; best in this draft.The big question mark here is if the Raiders would
take him at 35 overall and if not if they would make trades to get another
second round pick or back into the third round. He is expected to go in the
lower second/upper third round range and if the Raiders could find a way to get
him there, they would get probably the best all-around back in this draft.Miles
Sanders, Penn State – Round 3Height: 5-10, Weight: 211I wouldn’t say there is a
huge drop-off from Montgomery to the next tier where Sanders resides but it
doesn’t take much. The Penn State Nittany Lion has decent size with outstanding
speed (4.49 40) and agility (6.89 3-cone) to go with it. He has all the traits
of a back capable of carrying the load for an NFL team, with no glaring weakness
that would force him to head to the sideline in certain situations, whether it
be short yardage or passing downs.Elijah Holyfield, Georgia – Round 3-4Height:
5-10, Weight: 217John Gruden has said many times that he values pass blocking
great deal and that’s an area in which Holyfield excels. He doesn’t have great
speed (4.78 40) and yet he averaged an impressive 6.4 yards per carry for the
Bulldogs last season. Where he lacks is as a receiver, but the Raiders have
Jalen Richard for that.Bryce Love, Stanford – Round 5Height: 5-8, Weight: 200Any
team who can afford the patience to wait for Bryce Love to recover from his torn
ACL could be gettin an outstanding talent in this draft. Love suffered the
injury in his final game at Stanford, upending what figured to be his heading to
the NFL as a highly regarded day two selection. Now the injury could cause him
to be out anywhere from part of training camp to sitting out his entire rookie
season. If he did return for camp, you’d have to assume he would require some
time to return to the form he showed in college that had him average 6.8 yards
per carry with 30 touchdowns.Devine Ozigbo, Nebraska – Round 5-6Height: 6-0,
Weight: 235He’s a load at 6-0, 235 pounds and yet can still move and gain
separation. His senior season was a breakout one, averaging 7.0 yards per carry
and putting up 12 touchdowns. He had just 26 more carries in 2018 than in 2017
and yet more than doubled his yards total and four times as many touchdowns. You
always want to see the best numbers as the latest ones, though NFL teams
typically want to see something that suggest steady progress to know it isn’t a
fluke. He also struggles in pass protection, which could be an issue when it
comes to being a 3-down back. With the potential he’s shown, he is absolutely
worth a pick in the 5th or 6th round.Editor’s note: Yes, we realize the Raiders
don’t currently have a selection in rounds 3 and 6. If a prospect is listed in
that round it’s either with the assumption the Raiders would trade into that
round or take them in the following round should they still be on the
board.Follow @LeviDamien
