Alright Raider Nation, the draft is officially over. So welcome in to my own evaluation of each draft pick by the Raiders this season. My verdict on all these picks will be evaluated according to scouting reports, highlights, and in terms of needs. I will go in order from top to bottom, 1st round to the 7th round.
Round 1
Pick 5: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
Highlights:
So with the fifth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select linebacker Khalil Mack out of the University of Buffalo. If you look at his tape, Mack is a pass-rushing machine. He's had all school records for most tackles, most sacks, most forced fumbles, played all four years on the collegiate team, he was the 2nd best player on the defense on the draft board besides Jadeveon Clowney. Mack is all-out beast, he's versatile, can play anywhere on defense, and overall he's a playmaker. I thought Mack was gonna fall early to Jacksonville, but with the grace of the Jaguars selecting Blake Bortles and Buffalo trading up with Cleveland to get Sammy Watkins, the Raiders lucked out and managed to get the player that they had high on their board.
Grade: A
Round 2
Pick 36: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
Highlights:
With the 36th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Raiders select Derek Carr out of Fresno State. No surprise that Reggie and company think this is the guy under center for the team for the future. Like I said, the first time I've seen Carr in action was in the one bowl game against USC where he didn't perform up to his first round standards, which is why he kinda fell off the board. However, when I saw his highlights, he is so poised in the pocket, didn't panic at all, still went through his throwing motion knowing that protection is still there, and once the pocket clamps down, he uses his athletic ability to escape under pressure. He's competitive guy, very passionate about the game. I'm glad the Raiders didn't take him from the get-go in the 1st round knowing that Mack was still available and Reggie stood poise in the war room knowing Carr will still be available. In my opinion, Derek has the potential to outshine big brother, David in the NFL. Benefit of a doubt, he will learn so much from Schaub.
Grade: A
Round 3
Pick 81: Gabe Jackson, G, Mississippi State
Highlights:
So the Raiders traded down with Miami to get the 81st pick and another 4th round pick (which I will talk about later) and they used the 81st pick to select Gabe Jackson out of Mississippi State. At first if you guys look at my comments section, I was a little 50-50 with this pick maybe because of the fact that I didn't see too much highlights or look at his scouting report. But I did my research and all I can say is, this guy is an absolute STEAL! He is one of the top offensive linemen available, slated to be a late 1st rounder/early 2nd rounder, but the Raiders were lucky enough he was still available in the 3rd round. I mean my goodness, he's a heavy linemen, but man can he maul defensive linemen any better or what? He stays on his man very well and rarely does he miss his block. Jackson is a pure power running linemen and he's just what the Raiders needed, a physical linemen that won't take any sh*t from the defensive front. With Jackson on board, not to mention with Kevin Boothe and Khalif Barnes on the roster, competition at left guard just got serious.
Grade: A
Round 4
Pick 107: Justin Ellis, DT, Louisiana Tech
Highlights:
With only Pat Sims and Stacy McGee as the only viable true defensive tackles on the Raiders' depth chart, the Raiders needed another interior linemen to shore that up a little and with the 107th pick, the Raiders select Justin Ellis out of Louisiana Tech. When I read his scouting profile, he's a run stopper and he's very decent at clamping down the pocket. Also, he doesn't give up on the big play very easily, the only things he need to improve on is rushing after the quarterback and improve his technique whenever he is being double teamed over triple teamed by linemen, considering how unstoppable he is one on one.
Grade: A-
Pick 116: Keith McGill, CB, Utah
Highlights:
With the extra 4th round pick they got from Miami, at 116 overall, the Raiders select Keith McGill out of Utah. The Raiders straight up took a page out of the Seattle Seahawks' playbook to select big, tall cornerbacks in mid rounds. When McGill's name was brought up, a lot of comparisons were made with him to Richard Sherman or Brandon Browner. Long arms, large hands, and he can play either at corner or safety and safety is one of the many needs for depth purposes. Of course he has his cons. He was slated to be a 2nd-3rd round pick, but his stock fell because he didn't do too well at the combine and concerns of off the field issues. Again, think back to 2013, Raiders drafted McGee, same story, just different position on the defensive side. A lot of references that Al Davis would've loved to take this guy, he'll get a lot of help with the additions of Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers, and of course from the legend himself, Charles Woodson. I think McGill and Hayden have potential to be a deadly cornerback tandem in the future as long Hayden stays healthy and this guy stays out of trouble.
Grade: A-
Round 7
Pick 219: Travis Carrie, CB, Ohio
Highlights:
Alright for the first 7th round pick, the Raiders yet again put more depth to the secondary by drafting Travis "T.J." Carrie out of Ohio. Again, we draft a corner who doesn't give up the big play very often. Based on his scouting report, Carrie just has good awareness overall. He's another big size cornerback, in coverage he can mimic his receiver's routes very well, and also he's a productive punt returner, so at least the Raiders addressed a little special teams. It's unfortunate that his collegiate career has been overshadowed by injuries, but I think he'll be a solid backup and specialize in some defensive packages.
Grade: B+
Pick 235: Shelby Harris, DE, Illinois State
Highlights: N/A
With the 235th pick, the Raiders select Shelby Harris out of Illinois State. Not a lot of highlights from him, so I could just only see from the scouting report. From what I heard, he's a decent run defender, a good tackler, the only thing that is concerning about the Harris is his off the field issues and work ethic. It was mentioned that he was dismissed from the Illinois State football team and he can give up on plays. We have a lot of depth on the defensive end with acquisitions of Justin Tuck, Antonio Smith, and C.J. Wilson, and Lamarr Woodley and Khalil Mack can hop on over to that position in special packages, it'll be interesting to see how they will utilize Harris.
Grade: C+
Pick 247: Jonathan Dowling, S, Western Kentucky
Highlights:
So Reggie starts off the draft with defense and he ends with defense and with the 247th pick, the Raiders select Jonathan Dowling out of Western Kentucky. Like I said, if we're going to address the secondary, Raiders need to at least address the safety position and voila, Raiders did what was needed to be done by selecting Dowling. At first he transferred from Florida, and he was one of the top rated safeties, until he didn't get along with coach Urban Meyer. Transferring, he still put up great numbers as a safety, very good hands when it comes to intercepting the ball, just needs more improvement on fundamental tackling and awareness. So the Raiders get a value pick in their last draft pick.
Grade: B
Verdict
After evaluating each draft pick, I gotta say this was one of the better drafts from the Raiders in the new regime and the best draft the Raiders had in a long time. Reggie McKenzie, Dennis Allen hit it out of the ball park in the first 4 rounds and in 7th round got some great late round value. The Raiders stuck with their guns on going after the best player available and they didn't panic knowing that the players they want will come to them. To quote a guy who made this comment about the first two rounds: "The Raiders got a MACK truck and a brand new shiny CARR" and they added a lot of depth on the offensive line, defensive line, and secondary. Hats off to Big Reg and DA, after being handicapped in their first season and a couple headscratchers last season, they got it right and it's a stepping stone to put the team back to its winning ways.
Grade: A
So how do you think the Raiders did in this draft? Comment below. Disagree with my evaluations? Feel free to comment also. I won't post again until the NBA Finals, but I'll be resuming Bleach Fantasy posts with my friend Stillmattic on his blog http://bleachzealot.blogspot.com/. We're already down the stretch in the fight night tournament, so if you guys are interested, now's the perfect time to catch up. I'll see you guys later.
