The Raiders first round is finally over and you could say fans could be disappointed or excited depending on who you ask. It was clear the Raiders have a vision of what a Raider looks like and that is tough with great character.
With that said, let’s examine and attach a grade to ever first round pick for the Raiders after day one.
No. 4 – Clelin Ferrell, DE Clemson
Ian Rapoport said we were in for a surprise and he was definitely correct about that. The Raiders taking Clelin Ferrell at four was the shock of the draft and had Raiders fans in pure confusion.
Ferrell is the highest floor of the pass rushers in this draft, but at four seems like a reach of epic proportions. With that said Ferrell is still an upgrade over anyone on the roster and fits in the 4-3 scheme.
Final Grade: C+
No. 24 – Josh Jacobs, RB Alabama
Obviously, you see a trend here with tough players who have excellent character as the Raiders select Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs is the definition of toughness who is known for his vicious blocks and running over smaller cornerbacks. Seems like Gruden was a fan from the beginning.
Jacobs vision and play as a running back can be questioned and he only had one run over 20 yards last season. Jacobs might be a good player because of his versatility and receiver skills, but reaching on a running back in the first is very 90’s.
Final grade: C
No. 27 – Johnathan Abrams, Mississippi State
The theme of the night keeps moving with another high character player in Johnathan Abrams out of Mississippi State.
Abram is a box safety which is a dying position in the NFL but got a surprisingly decent grade from Pro Football Focus in coverage.
Abrams can be tone-setter in the backend and that’s probably why Gruden was a big fan of his talents. Just taking a dying position in the first seems like a reach.
Final Grade: C-
