Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week
With the calendar turning to April, we’re officially in NFL Draft month and the Las Vegas Raiders are less than three weeks away from being on the clock. The draft will be the focus of this week’s mailbag, so let’s get to it!
Q: If Shedeur Sanders slides to six and Tom Brady wants him but Pete Carroll and John Spytek want Aston Jeanty or an offensive tackle, who do you think Mark Davis would side with? And who would you prefer?
A: First, I don’t think Davis is going to be very involved, if at all, in who the Raiders take. He’s pretty hands-off when it comes to personnel matters, and Spytek will get the final say on all draft decisions as the general manager.
Especially with Geno Smith getting his contract extension this week, I’d be pretty surprised if Las Vegas still took Sanders at six. In my opinion, if the Raiders are going to add a quarterback in the draft, it will be someone like Jalen Milroe who is a mid-rounder with a lot of potential but needs time to develop.
Out of those three options, I’d prefer getting an offensive tackle like Will Campbell or Armand Membou.
A: In my opinion, yes. This ties into part of my answer above and is a big factor in why I’d go with Campbell/Memebou over Jeanty. Plus, there’s plenty of depth at running back this year.
A: I’ll preface this by saying I think Jeanty will have a good NFL career, but I don’t think he’s a “generational” talent who would be a top-10 pick in a stronger draft class. He’s a first-round talent for sure but is not in the same category as Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson, who were top-10 running backs and have been great pros. In my opinion, Jeanty is a tier below those two.
Q: What are your thoughts on Jalon Walker at six? I’ve been trying to sell myself on the idea since Lance Zierlein mocked him to us twice now.
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Photo by Perry McIntyre/ISI Photos/Getty Images
A: I’ve seen the buzz that Jalon Walker could be a top-five pick, so it sounds like he is an option for the Raiders. I like Walker’s game as a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher, but I have some concerns that he won’t have a natural position at the next level which makes me weary of taking him sixth overall.
It would depend on who else is available, I’d prefer Mason Graham or Will Johnson if they’re still on the board. Taking Walker would be one of those situations where I don’t hate the pick, but would describe my reaction as cautiously optimistic. I think there’s a world where the Georgia product becomes a good NFL player, but there’s also a chance that he falls into the Isaiah Simmons category of not having a true position at the next level.
Walker reminds me a lot of Haason Reddick, who was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2017 but struggled to find his footing in Arizona to begin his career.
Q: How do you feel about the Raiders’ cornerback room? Do you think bringing in a quality starter is a big need?
A: Especially after losing Nate Hobbs in free agency, cornerback is a big need to me. The defense could use a starting nickelback and I’ve been pounding the table for the front office to add a No. 1 corner since last offseason. Jack Jones proved his not capable of that role last year and while Jakorian Bennett showed promise, the sample size is still small with Bennett.
I think there’s some young talent and potential in the cornerback room, but there are too many question marks right now. Addressing the position early in the draft is definitely on the table for Spytek and Co.
A: Shavon Revel is a first-round talent, so I’d be pretty shocked if he’s still around in the third round even with the torn ACL. In a best-of-a-bad situation type of scenario, the good aspect of Revel’s injury is that it happened in September and he’s reportedly going to be ready for training camp. NFL Mock Draft Database has the East Carolina product as the 39th player overall and a second-round projection, so he should be on the table at No. 37.
Q: What would you think of the Raiders trading No. 6 to the Giants, Cleveland or Tennessee for their second and sixth this year and their first next year? (I don’t know the right formula). That way, the Raiders could put two firsts together next year, move up for a quarterback and still have a solid draft this year.
A: I like where your head is at by adding more draft capital and trying to take advantage of where the strength of this draft class is in the second/third rounds. However, the lack of premium talent at the top of the class makes it less likely that the teams you mentioned would be willing to give up much to double-dip in the top five as the Texans did a couple of years ago. A team that’s looking to trade up by swapping firsts and throwing in a mid-rounder is more likely.
A: I’d rather see the Raiders hold onto their picks and address more spots on the roster than give up assets for Travis Hunter. He is a unique talent with his ability to contribute on both sides of the ball, but I don’t see that being sustainable in the NFL. Unfortunately, I don’t anticipate a situation where Hunter gets drafted by the Raiders.
A: On a related note, yes, I would be in favor of the Raiders trading back in the first round. As mentioned above, I think there is a lot of value in the second and third rounds of this year’s draft class, compared to the top of the class. So acquiring more selections to add more young talent rather than swinging for the fences with one player might be the best course of action later this month.
Q: What do you see as Aidan O’Connell’s future?
A: Especially with Smith signing the extension, O’Connell’s future in Las Vegas is as a backup. O’Connell is only under contract for two more years and the Raiders will likely add a quarterback of the future in the next two drafts. Maybe O’Connell gets a chance to start somewhere else, but he’s more of a backup/spot starter to me.
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to [email protected] or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.
