The Raiders draft has been marinating for almost a week so it’s time to offer a few thoughts.
1 – Did the Raiders reach for Kolton Miller? Yes, they probably know they got him a little early, but Jon Gruden also couldn’t care less. He obviously feels an above average left tackle is more important than an elite safety. What good is it to have an All Pro safety if your quarterback can’t stay upright?
No problem with the pick.
2 – Did the Raiders get enough compensation for the 10th overall pick? Probably not, but if they wanted to draft Miller, they probably knew they had to trade down to get him at a reasonable value.
If Martavius Bryant works out, no one will be complaining about the trade, but this tweet from Ted Nguyen is still a good one.
The moment Keim made the trade up for Rosen with the Raiders.
(From Sports Illustrated)Trade was discussed before this call but I wonder what ARI would have done if Reggie asked for a 2nd rounder as well here. What choice would Keim have if he wanted Rosen that bad? pic.twitter.com/d0I3cBdeyd
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) May 3, 2018
Less frustrating than the trade and subsequent pick was the fact that everyone seemed to know who the Raiders wanted to draft with the 10th pick.
The leaks need to be cleaned up by next year’s draft.
3 – Arden Key may turn into a great player, but substance abuse issues are one of the red flags that concern teams most. Substance abuse is so difficult to fully overcome and the league doesn’t play around when it comes to punishing violators.
Hopefully Key can quickly add discipline in his life and avoid going the way of Aldon Smith. Unfortunately, the opportunities to find trouble only become easier in the NFL.
If he can turn his life around, Key could end up being the steal of the draft. His abilities are off the charts.
4 – Based on where he fell in the draft, 32 teams shared real concern that Maurice Hurst may only play a season or two because of his heart. That isn’t inside information, it’s just taking into account his elite skill set in comparison to where he went in the draft.
It would be great to know exactly what kind of heart condition Hurst is dealing with, but now that he’s on the Raiders, that information is basically locked away forever – or at least until he retires or ends up on another team.
This tweet from Vic Tafur is a good one.
No one is sharing medical records, so it’s all just speculation on Hurst. #Raiders happy they got him. They also passed on him 5 times. We’ll see how it plays out. ✌🏼
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) May 3, 2018
5 – As deep as this year’s running back class was at running back, it’s a little disappointing the Raiders couldn’t fit one in at some point. As of now, the 2018 season really is Marshawn Lynch or bust.
Another position the Raiders mostly ignored in the draft was middle linebacker, but that should be remedied by a veteran addition in the not-too-distant future.
A few other observations from around the league…
There was a report this week that the Raiders were trying to trade up and draft Mike McGlinchey, but Raiders voice Greg Papa believes that if both McGlinchey and Roquan Smith had fallen to the Raiders (or if the Raiders had traded up to pick 8), Jon Gruden would have drafted Roquan Smith.
Kolton Miller wasn’t the top tackle on the Raiders draft board, but someone had him rated as the only offensive tackle worthy of a first round pick in the draft.
Talked to a non-Raiders scout this morning and they had Kolton Miller as the only Round 1 left tackle in this class. Said his upside is worth pick 15 overall.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 27, 2018
Plenty of draft analysts seem to believe Miller has more physical potential than McGlinchey and simply has not put a lot on tape. Plenty also seem to doubt Tom Cable’s ability to help Miller reach that potential.
Hopefully, Cable can prove the critics wrong because several reports have noted that Cable was the one pounding the table for Gruden to draft Miller in the first place.
twitter: @raidersbeat
All I remember is OT Bruce Campbell from Auburn who was as athletic as Miller blowing up the combine. Same argument, physically gifted, but the tape wasn’t good. “He just needs proper coaching.”
-You don’t pass on proven talent (D. James) for potential.
Also remember people saying we would draft Bruce Campbell (Maryland)in the 1st. He now plays in CFL
Here we go again James was considered a mid to late 1st rd prospect before the combine his tape doesn’t reflect his combine. Safety is the one position on D we actually have depth recent 1st and 2nd round picks resigned last year’s starter for depth and signed the Texans starting safety from the last 2 yrs and a 7th rd pick from last year. Do you want to create the dreaded 4 safety defense? Vea as well the 2 NT D maybe Fitzpatrick he ran 4.56 at the combine and he won’t be playing cb even if his film is pretty awesome. This draft only had 12 to 15 players with an actual 1st round grade it was bad without the qbs it might have been historically bad. That’s the real reason we didn’t get value for pick 10 the board dictates the value not some stupid point system. There were 2 centers drafted in the 1st round another at 38 to the Bears multiple guards in the first round but the armchair GMs and so-called draft experts have a problem with drafting o tackle which is much harder position to fill not to mention a big-time team need look at the contracts being signed by average tackles it’s scary I think we’re going to be lauded for being ahead of the curve some day. Almost every team with the exception of NY Giants gambled big-time in this draft I wasn’t thrilled with our draft but I understand very well what we were trying to do.
That’s EXACTLY how I felt. After getting over the shock of not taking Edmunds. Reality sunk in. Penn is 35! I think he’ll be fine this year. Next year who knows? Add to that the fact that know one on this roster is even a adequate right tackle! The guy we traded for from the Texans gave up the MOST QB pressures in the NFL last year! We took some chances. We all know Arden Keys can play. I believe he’ll be a Hydred OSLB playing right behind Irvin! With Mack on the other side. If Hurst and Hall can get a push up the middle Our Pass Rush well be FEARED! Gruden has absolutely improved our secondary. Mitchell, I think that his name. Starting CB from the Colts. Worley who we’re taking a chance on has been a starter his whole career. And Conley and Obi are expected to start this year! And our offense is Loaded! Give Gruden a chance. I for one understand his madness. I think it will translate to wins. Cable is my only coaching concern.
RAIDERS!!!
Who else could the Raiders have drafted? McGlinchey and Roquan Smith were both gone and they certainly didn’t need a safety. Maybe Tremain Edmunds?
I am not sold on the OT’s Miller in the first, Parker in the third. Both seem like projects at best. Miller looks soft, but hopefully he is able to be a good O-tackle. At this point, I am disappointed with this pick, not asking for a great tackle, just be good. Key and Hurst were risks, but if they pan out, that would be awesome. The Raiders made some questionable draft picks, and the Chargers getting D. James could come back to haunt them. I am certainly going to root for Miller and Parker to work out, but Cable does not have a good track record on coaching up tackles. This will be an interesting year, nobody talks about Conely and Obi coming back this year, they played less than 150 snaps last year, so it would appear the Raiders have two No. 1’s and two No. 2’s coming out this year. Also happy that the first and second rounder are not coming in with injuries, that is good to see.
Such a foolish draft, outside of taking a chance on Hurst.
If OT was our #1 priority, how about trading a 4th round pick for an established one? Even trading a 3rd and 5th (something like that) for an OT you can be sure will step in, day 1, and kill it.
Instead they blow a first rounder on a project who may never start for the Raiders.
The Raiders don’t have to make the playoffs for Gruden’s first season back to be a success. If the team is prepared to play every game and Jon puts them in position to win, it will be a good season because this coming season is about blending team with coach and laying a foundation. Jon will have to get his team to buy into his football philosophy and then make sound , situational football decisions on game day . He’ll have to build trust with the team and all of that takes time . The players they drafted obviously, theoretically fit with Gruden’s philosophy. Maybe they’re not the best at their position but they probably excel at things he feels are needed for his philosophy to succeed . Some of these kids will make immediate contributions and others will take more time but we won’t really be able to grade this draft until a couple of years from now . Look for an 8 – 8 finish this year as Gruden tinkers with the roster .