Mocking the Mocks: Welcome to the Offseason, via SBNation

   February 9, 2017

Cheers, Dan Kadar, by way of Mocking the Draft:

Let’s take a gander at the Raiders’ haul through three rounds:

First Round

24. Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple

From Dan…

This might seem like a bit of a stretch, but Reddick showed at the Senior Bowl he can work at inside linebacker, but he can move outside to get after the quarterback.

Take: Haason Reddick’s versatility is going to be coveted by many teams, I imagine. He played coming off the EDGE, spent time at OLB, and even worked at ILB during his time in Philadelphia. On top of position fluidity, there’s no question that Reddick’s a solid athlete (a former running back and defensive back). As one of the top performers at Mobile, Haason’s stock has skyrocketed. With a strong showing in Indianapolis, he looks to put a bow on that first round projection. This might be a little rich for my taste, but I can understand the attraction, and there’s certainly a fit. If he’s the pick at 24, I prefer him at outside linebacker, vs. attempting to force the issue off the edge.

The aforementioned “concerns” off the edge:

Then he flashes, shows off the dip:

https://twitter.com/JC1053/status/828793077334683649

Second Round

In this scenario, the following players were snagged just before Oakland selected at 56 overall…

Budda Baker, S, Washington

Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa

Caleb Brantley, DL, Florida

Adoree Jackson, CB, Southern California

David Njoku, TE, Miami

56. Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson

Take: Watkin’s is obviously very strong, and even has a little “twitch” to his game (athletic enough for a kid his size). There are other times, however, where teams are able to simply run it right down his throat and move him around. The peaks and valleys in his game is concerning. In the second round, he still feels all-projection – very reminiscent of the Jihad Ward selection last year.

From NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

While Watkins has had a productive, successful career at Clemson, it is hard to isolate the area of his game that he will call a definitive strength in the NFL. Watkins is athletic and may have rotational appeal to teams that covet active interior linemen. His top-heavy frame limits his anchor at the point of attack and if his motor isn’t revved up, he gets put on skates too often against power. Watkins has some talent and his traits are NFL-worthy, but he could end up being a Day 3 selection who will need to play at a more consistent level in order to become a factor as a pro.

Again, the power’s definitely there:

…but he does get bullied; just general inconsistency that was noted above:

Some notable players still on the board in this scenario…

Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson — the CB1 for some, and Oakland has a (glaring) need.

Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado — one of the more well-rounded corner’s in a loaded class.

Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee — a personal favorite at RB; could sneak into the first.

Obi Melifonwu S, Connecticut — rocked-up and towering at 6’3″, with better range than given credit for.

D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas — a #RaidersTwitter’ favorite, I think, as everyone wants a “big back” nowadays.

Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan — feisty, lock-down corner who probably slips some due to height concerns.

Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech — the wideout that’s slowly gaining more and more attention; not a notable hole in his game?

Curtis Samuel, RB/WR, Ohio State — I’d draft Samuel at 24 overall; plays like Percy.

Jake Butt, TE, Michigan — will tumble some on draft day due to injury concerns, but was the TE1 for many beforehand.

Kendell Beckwith, LB, LSU — one of my favorite targets around the fourth round (another player coming off injury).

Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma — personally, my RB3, think he’d fit great in Oakland.

Third Round

88. Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia

Take: Looks and feels like a “Raider corner” given the build (6’2″, 204), something that Jack, Ken, and Co. have coveted in the recent past (a la Sean Smith). While he certainly uses the size to his advantage, and came away with a handful of interceptions throughout his career at West Virginia, I just don’t see a third round player. The ball skills are there, but I don’t like the hips and his ability to recover (lacks speed and what seems like general athleticism). If the Watkins selection was Jihad Ward, than Douglas feels Keith McGill-ish. I’m thinking this pick makes a little more sense in the fourth or fifth round.

Catch me on Twitter: @StillRyanFive

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