There is still a lot of talent left on the board as the second round begins. Should the Raiders stand pat — and word is they were looking to trade up at the bottom of the first round, so who knows — they would still be in good position to land a starting caliber talent.
Of the players who sit atop the best available list, there are six in particular who stand out to me in terms of the Raiders’ needs:
QB Will Levis
CB Joey Porter Jr
TE Michael Mayer
G O’Cyrus Torrence
G Steve Avila
QB Hendon Hooker
The first three guys are simply the consensus best players on the board at any position, regardless of Raiders needs.
With the Raiders as the seventh pick in this round, they would need only for one team to go another direction and one of these players would be available to them at 38.
Touchdown Wire went about putting together a round two mock draft, and with those six picks, they have two of them off the board — Will Levis and Joey Porter Jr.
Of the remaining players, they see the Raiders landing TE Michael Mayer, who some believe to be the best tight end in this draft, including The Athletic’s Dane Brugler who has Mayer just ahead of Dalton Kincaid who was selected by the Bills at 25 overall.
For the Raiders to get possibly the best tight end in this draft at 38 would be a great get, especially for a team that has a glaring need at the position. He would also be the consensus best player still on the board at any position, making him a BPA pick as well.
A lot can happen that isn’t predicted here, of course. The Raiders could trade up. Maybe to nab Levis. Another team could trade up ahead of them and take their guy. With several hours for every team to organize their draft boards, the top of this round can often be quite exciting.
