On the heels of a decade long NFL Draft drought, the Oakland Raiders have absolutely been killing it on Draft night(s)/day(s). Last year the silver and black struck gold twice with Derek Carr and Khalil Mack. I love the Cooper pick. I really think Reggie McKenzie is killing it right now.
You can start to see the potential “green shoots” of growth and progress now. When you consider all that McKenzie accomplished with the Green Bay Packers, the consistent winners that he helped build up there, that successful track record gives reason for optimism in Oakland.
(Photo credit: ESPN Images)
I’m a big fan of the Mario Edwards pick too. The DT from Florida State had a first round grade; he just got caught up in a numbers game due to a very deep draft for DL. Clive Walford seems like a tremendous value in round three as well. He’s a perfect fit; given team needs.
Younger NFL fans only know the Oakland Raiders as “a team that’s very bad every season since the infamous tuck rule game.” They’re not aware of what “commitment to excellence” really means, and how this is a truly a very proud franchise. The Raiders have one of the richest histories in all the NFL. They just degenerated when 40-yard dash times became the only criteria they valued during the draft process.
Well, the new regime is building a new legacy by going in a new and better direction.
We had Amari Cooper slotted to the Raiders at #4, one of the eight picks we got right in our NFL mock draft. (Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN got 7 and Mike Mayock of NFL Network got seven. #JustSayin)
I don’t believe in immediate Draft grades; I think you can only evaluate drafts to the point of grading them much later. However, FOX Sports Peter Schrager and Joel Klatt do, and here’s how they graded out the Oakland Raiders draft, video below:
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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