With just two games left in the 2020 season, NFL Draft season is right around the corner. We are less than a month away from the Reese’s Senior Bowl and that means it’s officially mock draft season.
Heading into Week 16, the Raiders currently own the No. 17 pick in the 2021 draft. With the team unlikely to make the postseason, the lowest their pick can be this year is at No. 18. But if they were to lose one or two more games, that pick could easily move inside the top-15.
But what position might the Raiders attack in the first round of the upcoming draft? In a recent mock draft by Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus, he has the Raiders selecting Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton. Here is what Renner had to say about the potential selection:
“Mike Mayock couldn’t care less about your draft board when it comes to picking in the first round — he’s going to take hard-nosed football players no matter if you think it’s a reach or not. Bolton is just that. He’s not going to run a 4.4 or measure in with any special length, but he’ll punch you in the mouth play after play. He led the SEC with 44 stops this season.”
Bolton’s playstyle and size are similar to Devin Bush, who was a top-10 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. While Bolton doesn’t have elite, top-end speed like Bush, he does play more under control and is a thumper in the middle of the defense.
With Cory Littleton disappointing this season and Nicholas Morrow scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the year, linebacker could once again be a need for the Raiders. Bolton, along with Micah Parsons from Penn State, are the two best linebackers in the class and should receive consideration from Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden in Round 1.
