One common theme you will see during the NFL Draft is decision-makers selecting players from a specific school over and over again. This is pretty common in the league as general managers and coaches “fall in love” with a particular program and/or how they are coached. Look no further than Ozzie Newsome and his love for Alabama players or the Dallas Cowboys and their attraction to Boise State defenders.
With the Raiders having four picks inside of the top-35 selections, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if the team drafted two or even three players from the same school reasonably high in this draft. But what school would be the team’s best-bet if they did this? Clemson? Ohio State?
In a recent mock draft by Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, the Raiders did exactly that as they grabbed two Alabama defenders with back-to-back picks. Take a look at the three first-round picks for Oakland via Bleacher Report:
4. Oakland Raiders: DT Quinnen Williams, Alabama
24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): RB Josh Jacobs, Alabama
27. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): TE Noah Fant, Iowa
Quinnen Williams is a common selection for the Raiders at No.4 as he is arguably the most talented player in the entire class. But his teammate, Josh Jacobs, is the far more interesting selection to me.
In three seasons at Alabama, Jacobs totaled just 299 touches for 2,062 yards and 21 touchdowns. While the overall numbers aren’t imposing, Jacobs has drawn rave reviews from the NFL’s best talent evaluators. His fairly small workload is seen as a positive as many believe his best football is still in front of him.
Overall, this is a solid mock draft for the Raiders as they grabbed three likely starters in Round 1. Even better, all three players are seen as ascending talents who are likely to be better pro players than they were in college. If the Raiders are going to double up from a school in this draft, picking two players from Alabama seems like the best bet.
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