The Las Vegas Raiders have been notorious for making poor selections in the NFL Draft. The team has chosen several busts, but they've also failed to develop prospects that went on to do great things with other franchises.
New general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll have signaled all offseason that they intend to build this team through the draft instead of paying top dollar for players on the free agent market. With the No. 6 overall pick and eight more selections at their disposal, the Raiders should have ample opportunity to build the team this year.
However, there has been almost no consensus on how the draft board will fall after the Tennessee Titans inevitably draft Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick. The Raiders' new regime must stay focused and avoid these nightmare scenarios in the NFL Draft.
1. Reaching for a QB at No. 6
After trading for Geno Smith and extending him this offseason, there is no need to panic and take a quarterback in the first round. While there is a case to be made for selecting Colorado's Shedeur Sanders at No. 6 to be the team's succession plan if he is still available, taking any other quarterback would be a disaster scenario.
Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart have been picking up steam recently and will be in attendance at the NFL Draft, which signals that they could be early picks. They should be targets in the second round or if the team trades back, but neither of these players is worthy of a top-10 selection at this point, let alone No. 6 overall.
2. Failing to draft a QB in the middle rounds
While it would be unwise to reach for a quarterback in the first round, it would also be careless to not draft a quarterback in the middle rounds. Las Vegas does not need an instant starter, but they could benefit from having a young player on the roster who can learn the offense and pick things up from Smith and Coach Carroll.
Dart and Milroe are two great options in the second round, and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard should be a hot commodity in the late second and early third rounds. Texas' Quinn Ewers has also been linked to Las Vegas, so one of these four players needs to end up in the Silver and Black. Otherwise, Aidan O'Connell or another late-round quarterback will be the team's contingency plan, which was a failed method last season.
3. Not adding depth on the interior offensive line
It's hard enough to get fans excited about offensive linemen, let alone interior players like guards or centers. They don't sell jerseys, they don't put people in seats, but they win you football games, and that will be the cure-all for a team like the Raiders.
While Jackson Powers-Johnson, Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith are a solid trio of starters, Las Vegas desperately needs depth on the interior. Veteran Alex Cappa was signed this offseason, but he has struggled in recent years to play his best football. Offensive line injuries are so common and can derail a team if they lack the proper depth, so Spytek needs to address this concern in the draft.
