All of a sudden, one of the most common picks in mock drafts is the selection of Kyler Murray in the first round to the Oakland Raiders. We have now seen that pick from multiple respected draft experts, including Lance Zierlien of NFL.com and now Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead.
In McIntyre’s latest mock draft, he has the Raiders picking Murray at No.4. Take a look at McIntyre’s’ three picks for Oakland and his explanations for each selection:
4. Oakland – Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma. Keep an eye on Derek Carr in free agency. There’s an out in his contract. The Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes, sat him for a year, and then started him. Will the Raiders ponder the same with Derek Carr and Murray?
24. Oakland (via Chicago) – Byron Murphy, CB, Washington. The 32nd ranked pass defense per DVOA has to spend one of its first-round picks on a defensive back. When you’re facing Pat Mahomes 2x a year, you better beef up the secondary.
27. Oakland (via Dallas) – JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Stanford. Jon Gruden is a major wild card in this draft given all the needs the Raiders have. It’s difficult to imagine that pathetic defense only getting one pick out of the three 1st rounders, but offense sells tickets, and they’ll be Vegas in 2020.
Outside of the Murray selection, picking Byron Murphy and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside at the bottom of the first round would be excellent value for the Raiders. Each would fill a significant role and would be Day 1 starters for Jon Gruden’s team.
However, the story here is the selection of Murray. If the Raiders were to make this move, it would all but end the Derek Carr era in Oakland. Would they be able to trade him for another high pick? That’s certainly possible. But there is no guarantee that Murray would be an upgrade at the position.
This is a high-risk, high-reward move that is becoming more en vogue by the day. If Murray decides to focus on football alone than this pick must be given even more credence.
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