Most mock drafts have the Raiders taking a wide receiver and a linebacker in the first round. For the most part, it’s just a question of which they take first and where.
It’s early February, and MMQB’s Kevin Hanson already has a mock draft that features trades. One of those trades includes the Raiders jumping up from their No. 12 spot to No. 8 overall to secure the consensus best linebacker in the draft.
***PROPOSED TRADE*** 8. Las Vegas: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson
(Proposed trade: Oakland sends 12th, 80th and 118th overall picks to Arizona for the 8th overall pick.)
Perhaps Mike Mayock won’t fork over the draft capital to move up, but the player-team match makes plenty of sense. The ultimate defensive chess piece, Simmons played 100-plus snaps each at defensive line, box linebacker, slot corner and free safety, as PFF notes, and had 104 tackles, 8.0 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2019.
The proposed trade costs the Raiders two of their three third-round picks, so they keep one of their third-rounders and their other first-round pick at 19. Can you guess what position they go after in this draft? You guessed right.
19. Las Vegas (via Chicago): Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama
Even though tight end Darren Waller had a breakout season, GM Mike Mayock recently said the Raiders “don’t have enough speed.” Of course, the trade for Antonio Brown attempted to address that need. Few players can match the elite sub-4.3 speed of Ruggs, who scored on one of every four career touches at Alabama.
CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy came off the board at 9 and 13 respectively in this draft, so Ruggs is arguably the best wide receiver on the board when the Raiders pick at 19.
