The draft has Raider nation excited for the future as they continue to have a solid haul of draft picks. Saturday, the Las Vegas Raiders got aggressive and traded up while also staying patient and grabbing value for the secondary.
The Raiders for sure got better this weekend, and let’s put the final grades on the two picks from day three.
Pick No. 109 – John Simpson OG, Clemson
Grade: B+
The Clemson Raiders continues to be a trend with Mike Mayock at the helm at GM. They go ahead and add another player from the ACC dominator selecting John Simpson to help out at guard.
Simpson has 29 starts in his college career for the Clemson Tigers, helping them win two national championships. Simpson is a mauler, and his play strength is off the charts. He exhibited good pass protection numbers as well, only allowing 13 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. However, the lateral movement could be a cause for concern on zone runs.
Simpson is a strong pick to help the Raiders out with depth with their interior offensive line. The Gabe Jackson trade talks have been heating up, and Simpson will come in and fight for a starting position.
Pick No. 139 – Amik Robertson CB, Louisiana Tech
Grade: A
The Raiders have been wide receiver hungry this draft to compete with Kansas City. But what about the secondary to stop the Chiefs? They addressed this position again by selecting young playmaker Amik Robertson from Louisiana Tech.
Amik Robertson was productive as any player in college football during his college career. He accumulated 14 interceptions, and 34 passes defended in three seasons displaying his innate playmaking ability. Also, he is a dynamic tackler who hits like a strong safety producing highlight-reel hits that are followed with attitude and trash talk.
Robertson is a great value pick at 139. He is available during the fourth round because of his injury to his hips kept him from competing at the combine. His size plays a factor as well, but he is a top nickel cornerback in the draft, in my opinion. He could take over for Lamarcus Joyner by 2021 full time.
Overall draft thoughts
Grade: B+
The Raiders came away with what they needed profoundly on both sides of the ball, which is speed and competitive toughness. Those things have been lacking the past two seasons. The Raiders went and added dogs to all levels of the field. Damon Arnette was the only player who didn’t have a strong athletic profile at a skill position. All the rest were unique in those areas.
The Raiders have serious pieces around Derek Carr for him to conduct the offense and just play point guard. The offense was in the top ten in most efficiency metrics and should even better this season. The Raiders should be able to put up points and could be one of the most exciting offenses in the league.
