With the addition of Kyler Murray to the 2019 NFL Draft class, it suddenly makes the top of the draft all the more interesting. Could Murray find his way to the No. 1 pick? Or does he slide out of the top 10?
No one knows for sure, but now the Raiders sit in a lovely spot at pick No. 4. If a team wants to trade up for a quarterback and that has happened a lot recently, the Raiders may be the ideal team to trade with.
In Luke Easterling’s most recent mock draft at the Draft Wire, he has the Jacksonville Jaguars trading up to No. 4 to select quarterback Dwayne Haskins. With the Jaguars drafting at No. 7, they needed to get ahead of the Giants to secure their quarterback of the future.
In exchange for moving down to pick No. 7, the Raiders received their second and third round picks (No. 38 and No. 69). With those two extra selections, the Raiders owned seven picks inside of the top 70. Take a look at their haul in Easterling’s mock draft:
7. Oakland Raiders (from JAX)* | Josh Allen | EDGE | Kentucky
24. Oakland Raiders | Josh Jacobs | RB | Alabama
27. Oakland Raiders (from DAL) | Kelvin Harmon | WR | North Carolina State
35. Oakland Raiders | Devin Bush | LB | Michigan
38. Oakland Raiders (from JAX)* | Taylor Rapp | S | Washington
66. Oakland Raiders | Michael Jackson | CB | Miami (FL)
69. Oakland Raiders (from JAX)* | Caleb Wilson | TE | UCLA
Overall, this is a fantastic draft for the Raiders as Josh Allen, Josh Jacobs, Kelvin Harmon, Devin Bush, and Taylor Rapp would all likely be Day 1 starters for the team. In just one draft, the Raiders were able to fill most of their most significant needs with quality, top-end talent in the first two days of the draft.
If the Raiders decide they don’t want to draft a quarterback inside of the top-five, look for them to entertain trade-down offers. As you can see, a slight trade down from No. 4 might actually be the team’s best option in April.
