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== OFFICIAL OAKLAND RAIDERS 2018 thread == (1 Viewer)

Ha.  From Twitter:

Round 1 - Mo Hurst

Round 2 - Martavis Bryant

Round 3 - Arden Key

Round 3 - Kolton Miller

Round 4 - Nick Nelson

Round 5 - P.J. Hall

Round 5 - Brandon Parker

Round 6 - Azeem Victor

Round 7 - Marcell Ateman

Round 7 - Johnny Townsend

 
Things certainly turned around quickly in here

reggie and chucky were listening 
They had a plan. They do this stuff for a living, we just watch and play make belief football GM. Reggie and Chucky have my trust. If you look at the draft it makes sense as how they attacked it even if it wasn't what all the mock drafts had as what they should or would do. Love some high risk/huge value/upside guys in Hurst and Key. Picking up Bryant through trade is huge and that was had through the draft. Reggie has an above average eye for OL as people mocked him for over spending on Penn and Hudson and we got one of the best G in the league in the 3rd. If we just got our now starter at RT with hus future as replacement for Penn and his replacement at RT in those OL. Hell ya. Plus, that bowling ball, blocking kicks like swatting flies Hall has me excited that we may have a good rotation inside now.

 
Heard the news and first thought, I kid you not, was "massraider has just had his day made"
Ha!

We signed some UDFA already. The other Florida kicker, who our new punter held for.

I'm not expecting much from UDFA this year. We signed a lot of vets and have competition everywhere.  

Maybe a UDFA LB. 

 
For those that know better than I who do you feel has more power tween Reg and Chuck?

or does it look like they are lock step like the blues brothers?

 
For those that know better than I who do you feel has more power tween Reg and Chuck?

or does it look like they are lock step like the blues brothers?
It has been laid out pretty much. Reggie's job is to get the guys Gruden wants. Gruden has a bulk of the power and I think the roster is all his. Reggie is really about the business side of contracts, cap management, etc. All indications have been that there isn't a power structure and they are working together well.

 
It has been laid out pretty much. Reggie's job is to get the guys Gruden wants. Gruden has a bulk of the power and I think the roster is all his. Reggie is really about the business side of contracts, cap management, etc. All indications have been that there isn't a power structure and they are working together well.
i cant imagine reggie doesnt have at least some influence in grudens decisions...gruden is smart enough to utilize reggies talent for finding talent

 
i cant imagine reggie doesnt have at least some influence in grudens decisions...gruden is smart enough to utilize reggies talent for finding talent
I don't think Gruden is a dictator. He enjoys collaborating which you can see with the things he did after leaving coaching. But it has been made clear that Gruden is the final say on roster.

 
I don't think Gruden is a dictator. He enjoys collaborating which you can see with the things he did after leaving coaching. But it has been made clear that Gruden is the final say on roster.
oh i agree...im sure Gruden said ''this is my vision for this team...these are types of players im looking for ...now lets work together to find them''

 
We signed Eddy Pinero as a kicker as a UDFA, he might beat out the the Italian Stallion, he was best kicker in nation last year.  

The biggest difference with Gruden on board, to me, was the risk tolerance has been raised.  Worley, Key, Azeem, all have a checkered history, nothing really terrible on their resume it should be said, drinking and weed mistakes.  

I think Raider Twitter and the national media have decided to create some sort of power struggle, or Gruden is now running everything, and the OT picks were somehow proof of that.  I think that massive OTs with physical skills have been the most consistent part of Reggie's history, so no idea where that's coming from.  I think Gruden said, I want some big linemen, and Reggie said yeah, me too.   :shrug:

 
Listening to some wrap up podcasts about the draft.  I listen to some good ones, and avoid the garbage.  Locked on NFL Draft, Draft Dudes, Draft Daily, and the PFF guys.  I avoid the "hot take" guys, I'm really looking for the film geeks.  Kyle Crabbs and the NDT Scouting guys are great.  There's a new breed of draft guys, that really look at analytics, and some that specialize in certain positions, which I love.  

Anyway, one guy was panning the PJ Hall pick, which is fine.  Considered a reach, no problem.  But he said, "How do you take a small school defensive tackle when Nathan Shepherd is in the board?!"

Nathan Shepherd went to Fort Hays St.  

:lmao:

 
Albert Breer who I dislike, has a good take on the draft:

Why it’s interesting: Miller’s fantastic athletically, but his tape wasn’t great, so it’ll be up to new OL coach Tom Cable to get the most out of him—because there are some teams that didn’t think he was tough enough. But the bust factor with him isn’t near where it is for some of Oakland’s other picks. Key’s off-field issues had him off the board for some teams all together. Nelson tore his meniscus during a private workout with the Lions before the draft. And Hurst’s heart condition was concerning enough that a whole bunch of teams took him out of consideration completely. The good news? If Nelson’s health holds up, he’s a Day 2 value; and Key and Hurst both have first-round talent. So maybe we’ll look back in a few years and see how Jon Gruden’s first draft class set the franchise up for a decade. Or maybe not. Oh, and throwing a punter in the mix here is a fitting tribute to Gruden’s old boss, Al Davis.
The biggest negative on day 1 and 2 of the team's picks is draft value.  Where the players went in relation to where they were projected to go.  Once the draft is over, that's not really relevant anymore.  It matters if they are good prospects.  

The Nelson thing is interesting, a torn meniscus isn't a devastating injury, and nickel corner is a really, really important spot.  

Tale of two drafts, a bunch of so called reaches early, and a bunch of so called steals on Day 3.  

 
Defensive line roster:

Mack
MEJ
Irvin
Ellis
Armonty Bryant
Key
Vanderdoes
Hurst
Hall
Carradine

We very well may trade one or two of these names away.  
 

 
Listening to some wrap up podcasts about the draft.  I listen to some good ones, and avoid the garbage.  Locked on NFL Draft, Draft Dudes, Draft Daily, and the PFF guys.  I avoid the "hot take" guys, I'm really looking for the film geeks.  Kyle Crabbs and the NDT Scouting guys are great.  There's a new breed of draft guys, that really look at analytics, and some that specialize in certain positions, which I love.  

Anyway, one guy was panning the PJ Hall pick, which is fine.  Considered a reach, no problem.  But he said, "How do you take a small school defensive tackle when Nathan Shepherd is in the board?!"

Nathan Shepherd went to Fort Hays St.  

:lmao:
:lmao: That is funny.

 
Defensive line roster:

Mack
MEJ
Irvin
Ellis
Armonty Bryant
Key
Vanderdoes
Hurst
Hall
Carradine

We very well may trade one or two of these names away.  
 
I was thinking the same thing. I was talking to some Raider friends and I said to them I wonder if they trade someone like Edwards for a LB to bring in more help there.

 
per Evan Sliva 

Oakland Raiders

1. (15) UCLA OT Kolton Miller
2. (57) Sam Houston State DT P.J. Hall
3. (65) North Carolina A&T OT Brandon Parker
3. (87) LSU DE Arden Key
4. (110) Wisconsin CB Nick Nelson
5. (140) Michigan DT Maurice Hurst
5. (173) Texas A&M P Johnny Townsend
6. (216) Washington ILB Azeem Victor
7. (228) Oklahoma State WR Marcell Ateman

Overview: The Raiders were one of the NFL’s most active teams on draft weekend, acquiring Martavis Bryant for the 79th pick, trading down before drafting Miller, and trading up for Hurst, Parker, and Key. OL coach Tom Cable was known to be infatuated with Miller’s athleticism despite Miller’s up-and-down tape. Hall was a second-round surprise, but his production and movement ability were off the charts for his size. Parker is a small-school project for Cable to mold. Oakland then took three straight high-risk prospects in Key (off field), Nelson (knee), and Hurst (heart) before replacing Marquette King with big-legged Townsend. Victor also carries several off-field concerns stemming from drugs and DUI. Ateman doesn’t run well enough to make it in the pros. I’m not grading the class highly because I think the Raiders passed on better prospects with their first three picks, but this was an interesting and fun draft to watch unfold. The Raiders embraced and even welcomed volatility and risk from start to finish. 

Grade: D+
 

 
Im wondering if we reached out to the Cowboys to see if they were interested in Roberts and add somehow we unloaded Ward for Switzer instead.

 
Cowboys targeted Ward after acquiring Tavon Austin. Makes me think perhaps Jihad is a lil more worthwhile than we think. Doesn't matter if he is though. Switzer helps the Raiders and Jihad was a likely cut.

 
Cowboys targeted Ward after acquiring Tavon Austin. Makes me think perhaps Jihad is a lil more worthwhile than we think. Doesn't matter if he is though. Switzer helps the Raiders and Jihad was a likely cut.
A true slot WR just makes so much sense.  Not sure why it hasn't happened sooner.  

 
A true slot WR just makes so much sense.  Not sure why it hasn't happened sooner.  
I've been wanting one forever.  He hasn't shown much as a receiver last year, this might be a ST gift to the new coach.  

I'm hopeful, and he was a draft darling as a slot guy last year, but it must be said, he wasn't Wes Welker last year.  5 catches.  

 
Roberts contract has negative value. $4.5 MM cap hit, with $4.3 MM dead money if you cut him. I think there's a decent chance the Raiders are going to have to give someone a draft pick or a pick upgrade to take him.

I think it'd be worth it to free up cap for Bowman. Especially given Chucky's new found proclivity for manipulating a draft board. He'll readily get back later, whatever pick he gives up to ship Roberts.

 
I think the Raiders wait till training camp and the injury bug to hit other teams. Someone will want Roberts. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've been wanting one forever.  He hasn't shown much as a receiver last year, this might be a ST gift to the new coach.  

I'm hopeful, and he was a draft darling as a slot guy last year, but it must be said, he wasn't Wes Welker last year.  5 catches.  
He has not shown much.  I am hoping that just bringing in a slot WR is at least a first step 

 
Eleven times the Raiders draft order changed in order for them to reach their final draft class.

I honestly have never seen a group of draft picks change positions more in my ten years covering the Raiders. The Raiders’ draft order has been shifting like the wind for some time. Here’s how it changed.

Move 1: Trade Round 5 pick to Seahawks for Marshawn Lynch and round 6 pick (192 overall)

Move 2: Receive four compensatory picks (210, 212, 216, 217) for 2017 net free agent losses. Select Azeem Victor, LB Washington with pick 216.

Move 3: Lost coin toss with 49ers for 9/10 draft position in first round

Move 4: Trade Cordarrelle Patterson and 6th round pick (210) to Patriots for 5th round pick (159)

Move 5: Trade Jamize Olawale and 6th round pick (192) to Cowboys for 5th round pick (173). Select Johnny Townsend, P, Florida

Move 6: Trade down from 10 overall to 15 overall with Cardinals and pick up third round pick (79) and 5th round pick (152). Select Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA at 15

Move 7: Trade 3rd round pick (79) to Steelers for WR Martavis Bryant

Move 8: Trade down in 2nd round sending pick 41 to Titans for pick 57 and add 3rd round pick (89). Select PJ Hall, DT, Sam Houston state at 57.

Move 9: Trade up in 3rd round pick from 75 to 65, giving up 5th round pick (152) and 6th round pick (212) to Ravens. Select Brandon Parker, OT, North Carolina A&T

Move 10: Trade up in 3rd round from 89 to 87 giving up 6th round pick (217). Select Arden Key, DE, LSU

Move 11: Trade up in 5th round from 159 to 140 giving up 6th round pick (185) to Colts. Select Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan

In total, the Raiders made just two original selections in this draft: 4th round pick (110) Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin and 7th round pick (228) Marcell Ateman, WR, Oklahoma State.

Otherwise they made 9 trades for 8 players. Nuts

 
Interesting draft. While I will always wonder how this would have shaken out if we went consensus BPA at areas of need in the first and second (we missed out on Fitzpatrick by trading back with the Cards @10, then missed out on Edmunds and James at #15) -- and I do wish we went that way still -- I can understand Reggie & Chuckie's philosophy of shoring up the offensive line to protect Carr and get an athletic versatile tackle who will compete and can fill in for a starting position immediately.

It's not the sexy pick, nor the pick I thought we should make given the questions I have about Miller's pedigree (we need him a player to handle some of the most dominant EDGE defenders in the NFL this year, and not sure Miller has shown this is a question-free talent of his, would have liked a blue chipper instead of a small school prospect who was seen as 2nd round talent by many) , but I get why and hope Miller transitions seamlessly to add value to our line right away.

As a potential 3T inside rusher, PJ Hall looks like he might fit well in Guenther's two-deep zone D and can help with that interior pressure we've been lacking from other players outside of Mack.To me, Hall brings the athleticism for this role more than others on th eroster, so again while not a sexy pick, hopefully Hall can add value immediately.

Brandon Parker was a bit of a headscratcher if only because of needing to trade up just 3 picks to get him (feel he would likely have been there for us anyway, was projected anywhere in rounds 3-5), and at this point in the draft it was clear to me that the Raiders brass didn't agree with me or consensus that ILB and DB were glaring needs, and went with another OT. Another small school guy, at least Parker brings beef at 6-7 310, and assuming he can contribute, at least I like that our O-line seems to have talent and depth we did not have the last few years. Will be interesting to watch camp competition here.

I like the Key pick. Again, I think we should have gone Edmunds in the first and used our 3rd round pick for value at OT, but I think this will turn out to be a steal, and a true Reggie special -- taking advantage of discount to get a guy who has first round talent in the 3rd. Long, wiry, athletic tackle machine is the kind of player we need, and his "character issues" to me are not dire -- the guy checked into to rehab voluntarily, been clear for a year+, it's a bit of weed smoking, not a BFD to me anyway, and I think the concerns are a little overplayed -- or at least overshadowed by what he can add to our D if we help his focus. 

Again would have loved to get a CB earlier, but Nick Nelson is another value pick for us given that his stock slid because of the worry of his meniuscus, which wasn't a full tear and only required 6 weeks of correction and rehab. Should compete to start, and brings some flexibility given his ability to play safety, CB, nickel, etc. Looking for one guy aside from Melvin to step up from the nondescript generic bunch we have, and Nelson could help distinguish himself and earn a spot to help us in an area of need right away.

Mo Hurst is our best pick of the draft, bar none. Huge value here, and while health will be a concern, seems like he has the issue under control, well-evaluated, and he's ready. Huge, huge value and he's the right guy at the right position of need. Love this pick.

I am never a huge fan of drafting punters but it's the Raiders thing, and Townsend is a special talent at a position we need. Solid directional guy who will do his job and not make himself a Social Media diva, unlike others.

Don't have a feeling about Azeem Victor, seems like purely depth as I don't see anything that makes him special. Maybe contribute to ST as well as OLB depth.

Not sure why we went with Ateman when we seem to have a solid core of 3 WRs -- not sure we needed to build depth here as opposed to other positions, but given his prospect gradings, and his measurables that will make him a good RZ target, may have been BPA at that point on the Raiders board. 

 
just heard on 95.7 The Game that Penn is being investigated for domestic violence.

This happened last night, so it's not like the Raiders draft 2 OTs because they knew this was coming, but it is an odd coincidence.

Let's see how this all plays out...

 
just heard on 95.7 The Game that Penn is being investigated for domestic violence.

This happened last night, so it's not like the Raiders draft 2 OTs because they knew this was coming, but it is an odd coincidence.

Let's see how this all plays out...
http://www.tmz.com/2018/04/30/raiders-star-donald-penn-suspect-in-domestic-violence-incident/?adid=sidebarwidget-tmzsports

Penn and his wife, Dominique, have issued a joint statement through their rep, Denise White, saying:

"There was a verbal disagreement, there was NO physical altercation. The two are in the middle of a divorce and it is a hard time for both parties."
No physical altercation, thank goodness, although the initial claim was that Penn "slapped her butt" which led to the verbal altercation, at which point he poured a drink on her head and then left. I doubt much comes from this, but it's hard to say exactly.

 
Interesting that Penn thing happened, as I was gonna post about OL.  

The team has added a bunch of linemen that we haven't seen much of.  You have to go back to Gabe Jackson to see a lineman that hit.  Anthony Morris, John Feliciano, Vadal Alexander, Jylan Ware, David Sharpe, Brandon Parker, Kolton Miller.  We need to get our two starting tackles from this group.  If we do, great, if we are cruising free agency for a starting tackle next year, that's not cool.  

 
bryant is a dangerous guy for the locker room. I don't see him responding well to grudens rah rah attitude. 

We'll see. 
Gruden is only a rah rah guy for the camera, on the field he had a rep for being a major hard ###.

Wow, it's mostly tape against low level talent but I love how quick this kid is. His ability to suddenly change direction and accelerate looks amazing.  Hope it translates to the next level.

Charlie Harper said:
High risk, high reward. If you're gonna pay a coach $100 million better let him get to work and earn that money.

I don't watch college football, but I do like that we've drafted OT (which is a premium position) and pass rushers. 

People have been hating on Cable, but was he really that bad in SEA? I know last year was a mess (but SEA didn't spend money on the line) , but to my knowledge he did decently prior to that. Cable has a good rep as an OLINE coach....so giving him these elite athletes sounds good to me.
Yeah, I agree about Cable.  Seattle gave him next to nothing to work with for the past few years and he still managed to cobble together a passable line...before last season.

The Raiders are giving him a ton of talent to work with so I understand the optimism.

 
Echoing some sentiments others have expressed -- while I think we had a solid if not spectacular draft, what is worrisome to me is how much better, on the face of it, the Broncos and Chargers did. We were already in a competitive division, and I feel that other teams got stronger than us through FA and draft.

Adding Chubb was a no-brainer for the Broncs there, and will absolutely help keep their D unit filthy and dominant. They also upgraded their WR corps with the impressive Courland Sutton and slot specialist DaeSean Hamilton. Then landing an upside guy like Royce Freeman (with depth in David Williams) also will help shore up the RB turnstile Denver has been for the last few years. Yiadom and Jewell also look serviceable and startable in the backfield and midfield. Their ability and window to vie for division champs has not abated whatsoever.

The Chargers also had an above average draft, and them snagging Derwin James honestly hurts. Uchenna Nwosu certainly helps their pass rush, and while it seems to me that run-stopping is more of a concern for the Bolts, Nwosu has versatility in being able to move all around the front and contribute, create mismatches, and a little havoc. Only saving grace is that they still need a good OT as they have solid talent in Pouncey and went after another center in Scott Quessenberry. But with their FA acquisitions and adding quality talent in the draft, I think the Chargers are going to surprise this year in the division.

The Chiefs did what we were supposed to do and went all in on D (except for Reggie's son, the only offensive player they drafted), and for not having a R1 pick, did well to fill some holes. Derrick Nnadi provides the big body interior lineman they needed both overall, and to help make their 4-2 Dime package actually work against 3 WR sets. They didn't get a blue-chipper in S/CB but got a fairly serviceable guys in Armani Watts and Tremon Smith. 

Best case scenario for us is that Penn stays healthy and Miller steps up and delivers in his transition to the NFL, providing the safety for Carr against guys like Houston, Bosa, Vonn MIller and Chubb, all of whom we'll see twice. And that PJ Hall develops into a dependable 3Tech DT who can battle the double-teams that will occur in Gunther's 2-deep zone. Because that 2-deep zone takes some pressure off linebackers (and to a degree corners) I can see why Reggie & Gruden weren't as focused on LB as I believe we should have been. We really only have Irvin and Bowman (if he signs) so if the front can generate consistent pressure and our defensive backfield (Joseph, Obi, Conley) plays up to what we think they can achieve based on talent, eschewing LB in this draft may not be disastrous. 

 

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