Oakland Raiders 2015 NFL Draft Selections (Rounds 4-7) + Final Grade

Conclusion:

*Changes to grade and research are closed once conclusion is posted*

Overall, this was a pretty good draft McKenzie put together. It wasn't as good as 2014, but it's up there and McKenzie has addressed areas of concern in the early rounds. Were there better prospects that the Raiders passed up? Absolutely. Drafting Amari Cooper started the fireworks, then Mario Edwards, Jr. getting selected in the 2nd round, left us "iffy" because Preston Smith and Owa Odigizuhwa were better prospects in my opinion, Clive Walford built our excitement back up, then the amount of linebackers selected had us in anxiety because we want Reggie to start focusing on other priorities like secondary help. But we're just all online GMs and not professional scouts and they won't pick the player we want them pick sometimes. But final thoughts, it's a solid draft, it's not legendary like last year's draft where the Raiders snagged 4 starters in the first four rounds and 1 in the 7th round, but it adds more pieces to help cornerstones, Khalil Mack and Derek Carr, to drive this franchise towards perennial playoff contention in the near future.

Final Grade: B+

Round 7: Pick 242, Dexter McDonald, CB, Kansas

Highlights:

Comment: We've been crying for some help in the secondary, possibly screaming if there's any and finally the Raiders have addressed that by using their final pick on Dexter McDonald out of Kansas. Raiders are taking another page out of the Seahawks' playbook of getting tall, lengthy corners and McDonald is the latest tall corner drafted by the Raiders. This guy managed to hold his own against 7th pick, Kevin White in the highlights. According to his profile, he can play press, very disruptive, needs a little polishing in being a physical corner and he can be over-aggressive with his hands leading to some PIs. Nonetheless, it's a good value pick and adds needed help for the cornerback position, in fact, probably increases the competition with McGill, Carrie, and Thorpe to start opposite of D.J. Hayden.

Grade: A-

Round 7: Pick 221, Andre Debose, WR, Florida

Highlights:

Comment: Mike Mayock says he has a potential to be scary and was projected to be the next Percy Harvin. After looking at his highlights, all I can say "holy sh*t." This guy can give the Raiders an electric kick/punt returner, something we haven't seen since Jacoby Ford was drafted back in 2010. Forget reading the scouting profile, this guy can be an instant contributor on special teams right away. He showed flashes to be a deep threat as well. Now looking at more reports on him, he is a bit older at 25 years old and had off the field issues and likely a risk-reward guy and Reggie takes chances at players with red flags at this point of the draft. But, my goodness, if this guy makes the roster and works to his potential, it's a pick your poison situation when Carr is going for the deep ball whether the defense double teams Cooper or Debose, but likely he is going to be a big time contributor and bring that energy and electricity to special teams we haven't seen in a while since Jacoby Ford.

Grade: B+

Round 7: Pick 218, Anthony Morris, OT, Tennessee Tech

Highlights:

Comment: Usually, the 7th round goes by really fast, so I'll make this short and quick. Morris is another big lineman, he's pretty decent at run blocking and pass protection and he can pull too, I'll give him that. If I can see his scouting profile, it would be convenient, but he's likely there for depth and again, it addresses the need and fortifies the O-line depth.

Grade: B

Round 6: Pick 179, Max Valles, LB, Virginia 

Highlights: 

Comment: Surprise! Another linebacker. Three linebackers in a row the Raiders went. Looking at this guy and reading his scouting profile, he's big, athletic, and he can play on the dirt or play standing up. The guy is still raw and needs to be coached up in terms of technique, instinct, and footwork as a pass rusher. The Louisville game as showed above shows his athleticism, batting down passes a la J.J. Watt. Not saying that he's the next J.J. Watt or anything. You can't get enough of linebackers, but I was hoping the Raiders would start addressing the secondary or continually bolster the d-line or o-line, but this guy is projected to play more defensive end since the Raiders drafted him as a DE. I see this guy as a project under Del Rio, Norton, and Sunseri.

Grade: B-

Round 5: Pick 161, Neiron Ball, LB, Florida

Highlights: N/A

Comment: Man, hearing his 12 minute video about him and his brain surgery reminds me of D.J. Hayden and his story after suffering a near-death experience. The guy had brain surgery in 2011 and worked his way up to get back to finish his collegiate career with the Gators. Looking at his profile, he's a versatile linebacker able to play inside and outside and can play the 4-3 or 3-4. He doesn't give up on the play, he's a viable asset to special teams. Of course the concern is that can he get back to top notch health because the NFL plays at a much faster pace. Not to mention, he's battled a lot of injuries in his young career. The Raiders picked two linebackers in the 5th round, it wasn't too much of a need at this point considering the core is stacked, but you have to root for this guy to have a fairy tale ending by being in the NFL and I think he's going to be a valuable asset on special teams and needed in some situations.

Grade: C+

Round 5: Pick 140, Ben Heeney, LB, Kansas

Highlights: 

Comment: He has that old school Raider look with that beard on. From what I'm hearing, this guy has "steal" written all over him a la Chris Borland. From the highlights, Heeney is really a run stuffer and according to his profile, he has posted up "eye-opening" numbers for tackles for loss in his collegiate career. This is a guy, even if a running back gets a hole, he doesn't give up on the play until that running back gets tackled and he barely allows offenses to run up on him for a TD in the end zone. He has pretty good awareness on the ball, but again highlights only tell a tiny bit of the story than a full breakdown. Looking at his profile again, he tends to struggle against bigger, more powerful linemen and last season he was the nation's leader in missed tackles. That's definitely an area of concern because it's like the Raiders drafted another Miles Burris, but I think he has the potential to be better than Burris, only time will tell.

Grade: A-

Round 4: Pick 128, Jon Feliciano, G, Miami

Highlights: N/A

Comment: So the Raiders apparently traded down twice in the 4th round and finally at pick 128, the Raiders select Jon Feliciano out of Miami. So they selected a player out of the U for two consecutive rounds and he's another big body interior lineman. 6-2, 323 pounds and this guy has played left tackle, guard, right tackle, so he's pretty versatile. From the scouting profile, he's effective in the short pull game, so definitely he will be an asset in the run game, decent awareness against the pass rush, allowing just 4 sacks in his entire collegiate career. Some weaknesses include that he has short arms, lacks quickness, and his hand placement can be a mess at times. Most of Feliciano's weaknesses can be coached under Mike Tice, but overall this is a pretty good pick. The Raiders needed a guard and beef up that O-line to give Carr more protection and make this up-tempo offense work. Yeah there were better prospects the Raiders could've taken like Tre Jackson, but Feliciano will be coached up and compete for the starting job at right guard.

Grade: A-