If the Raiders draft seemed a little all over the place last week, it might be because it was.
According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, the scouts and coaches didn’t see eye to eye one the first pick – scouts wanted safety Derwin James and coaches (i.e. Tom Cable) wanted offensive tackle Kolton Miller.
Personnel departments and coaches disagree quite often so a little back and forth between picks isn’t particularly alarming.
But later in the evening, an NFL Network report indicated that the Raiders were trying to trade back into the first round (which didn’t come together). Tafur reported the following morning that their target (a safety) was still on the board and a move up in the draft was still a possibility for the Raiders.
That didn’t happen, but thankfully, the safety the Raiders were targeting fell to their pick in the second round – only by that time they had moved on and decided to trade the pick away.
“They almost traded up for a safety late in the first round and early second, but then changed course,” Tafur said Sunday via The Athletic. “And then the draft board didn’t cooperate and the Raiders didn’t get one.”
But here’s the best part. The Raiders still managed to take two more draft picks with Stanford safety Justin Reid (brother of former 49ers S Eric Reid) and Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison on the board – one of which seems to have been the Raiders trade-up target earlier in the day.
So if you are keeping score, the Raiders wanted to trade into the first round (move up about 10 picks), decided against the trade, and when the player fell to them, decided against drafting him at all. Then they passed on the player two more times to focus on their offensive and defensive line.
Maybe there is more to the story, but based on what has been reported, it seems like the Raiders’ collective thought process bounced around quite a bit over the first two days of the draft – not necessarily a bad thing, but probably not ideal, either.
That said, the draft room did look sophisticated and civil for their official social media release. No scouts and coaches wrestling in the corner. No Jon Gruden standing on the table. And Reggie at his familiar position at the head of the table.
Decisions, decisions.#RaiderNation X #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/BTEHpz968V
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) April 27, 2018
And where’s Mark Davis hiding in that picture?
twitter: @raidersbeat
**** dude, I’m imagine if we listened to the scouts and took Derwin. This draft would go from a B- to an A- in the snap of a finger.
Draft grades? You talkin’ bout draft grades? Draft grades.
The ONLY way that you can give a draft class any kind of grade that a real ‘football person’ will give any credence to is two seasons later…. at least.
IF you want to write about the draft, go back and grade past years drafts because not one of these men have played on down in the NFL, so nobody know anything about how good this draft will be
Agree really smh stupid ****
Who the hell has the future in their hand to predict who will pan out and not absolutely dumb *** comments
Lmao. A B- is generous. More like a C to C-
I get it but the raiders have already trashed a second round pick with jihad ward obi melifonwu I basically a less refined bigger more athletic derwin. That pick from that year’s second round would have to be traded for nothing
Raiders just seem to attract the critics. You hardly wver hear this stuff about sny other team besides maybe Cowboys. It’s mostly critical from biased haters. Derwin is a solid prospect but the Raiders needed to fix the offensive and defensive lines.
I am Lost, the Raiders didnt draft either of those players. “But here’s the best part. The Raiders still managed to take two more draft picks with Stanford safety Justin Reid (brother of former 49ers S Eric Reid) and Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison on the board – one of which seems to have been the Raiders trade-up target earlier in the day.” Whats up?
Not overly ‘trusting’ all the Vic has to say on the Raiders. I thought that they did a great job on the draft. You asked “where is Mark Davis”? That is an easy one — He’s taking the picture!!!
You never know, but I love the two DT’s…both guys supply that interior pass rush they’ve lacked for so long.
The OT’s can fortify RT. They haven’t had one of those for a long time.
And I think the CB from Wisconsin looks feisty and fast.
Not to mention the two head cases: Martavus and Key. If either one of them shows up, it’ll be solid.
Haters gonna hate. It’s a crap shoot.
Key isn’t a head case. He popped hot for weed and left the team for ‘personal reasons’, which means he left quietly before being dismissed. When the next CBA comes out weed won’t even be a banned substance anymore.
Fake News, ldk but maybe they traded down then passed on “the safety ” because they never wanted him. Don’t they have a young safety on the roster already? Js.
So the scouts wanted Derwin James despite drafting three safeties in the past two drafts, two of which were in the first two rounds. Were they planning to move one of the current safeties to make room for Derwin James? Hell nah they shouldn’t be trusted to make that pick. Plus a second round d-lineman (Jihad Ward) was traded away and not to mentioned drafted ahead of Deon Jones when the team could have used a linebacker or two at the time.
These scouts and front office executives are sensing the end of days with the Raiders and are airing out their grievances in public before getting released. Somehow they’re forgetting how the it works. Not to long after Reggie got hired he also let go a bunch of scouts.
Offensive and Defensive line were the biggest needs in the draft. And with the recent domestic violence report looming against Donald Penn, taking two tackles early is looking even more wiser by the minute.
Yeah. And every other draft room was peaceful with everyone in agreement and nobody lobbying for “their guy”. Total oasis.
Non story. This dude just defined “war room environment” for EVERY nfl team.
Best comment on this board…and any others saying this is a non-issue. Changes? CHANGES?! Changes?
OT: I hear the Raider got the steal of the draft, dude named Hurst.
The fact that anybody is listening to Tom Cable is not a good sign. The Seahawks spent 3 1st ed picks and two 2nd Rd picks on O-lineman when cable was there and none of them reached “their potential”. Same recipe as our picks this year, physically gifted but needed coaching up. the only way it gets any worse is if we institute a zone blocking scheme.
So Andy….
Make absolutely certain before reading the next portion of my reply that you’re nowhere near large knives, razors or anything sharp enough to penetrate major arteries and that you’re well-clear of open windows or medicine cabinet doors…
….It would appear that switching to a zone-blocking scheme is PRECISELY what Tom Cable intends to do (it’s the only system the idiot knows how to coach!) despite it’s flagrant lack of success with and dramatic setback of the existing offensive line personnel; a virtually I dentical unit (clearly best suited to a powerblocking scheme) that was arguably the best in the league just one season earlier! Why Jon Gruden hired this buffoon to coach the O-line with so many red flags and a track record of catastrophic failure at both identifying and coaching offensive linemen on his resume is a completely (and comparatively) baffling mystery! (Look no further than the seemingly endless film of Russell Wilson running for his life in the backfield to see the miserable results of Tom Cable’s handiwork in Seattle!).
I have mixed feelings about this draft. I would have rather seen the Raiders take the LB Edmonds in the first, but I never have an issue taking O-lineman at the top of the draft. Besides QB and DE, the O-line is the most important part of a football team. I think Key and Hurst were a steal in the third and fifth rounds. Hurst will be a starter when this team starts the season, that guy is a beast.
If we wanted safety, we should have stayed at 10 and pick Fitzpatrick. But without Derek, we won’t be going anywhere, so it’s hard to disagree with the decision. Like our defense improved after Norton was removed, let’s hope our new coaches work magic with our current players.
No place on the roster for another safety
with as many holes as they have to pick a safety would have been a move only a jackass would make
shut up about derwin james and go play madden you short bus riding shoe sniffer
My first glance at the Raiders draft picks had me disgusted. I am a college football guru and follow these players from High School. Hell, I follow some of them from middle school. I loved the late rounds steals of Key and Hurst. Hurst was the steal of the draft, period. What gets me with Reggie McKenzie is, I don’t mind the players he picks (some of the time), it’s what round he picks them in that kills me. He picks guys 2 or 3 rounds sooner than they would normally be drafted. It kills me! We could have drafted DJ Hayden in the 2nd round (or 3rd) & drafted a stud alongside with him. We could have drafted Jahid Ward in the 4th(or 5th or 6th) & drafted someone alongside with him. We could have drafted PJ Hill in the 3rd or Brandon Parker in the 4th (or 5th). It drives me nuts how bad the Raiders REACH for players. Kolton Miller was ok at 15th but still a reach. Chances are we could have had him in the early 2nd. We should have traded back to 25th overall and took Kolton & got another 3rd and 5th round pick to go with it. Titans got the best UFA in Deontay Barnett from USC. Burnett will be a star 3rd WR for Tennesee. Raiders did do ok in this draft. Not good, definitely not great, but not bad and definitely not awful either. I am excited to see what PJ can do in the middle. At 310 pounds that guy runs faster than most safeties in the NFL. And he is strong. Hurst is just a stud. He was a 1st round talent thru and thru until the heart condition excluded him from the combine. We got two solid guys on the interior D line which we needed more than anything. Now lets hope Kolton Miller and Brandon Parker can be above average and this team will be a playoff contender again. Or at least one of the tackles has to be above average. No way to tell until the season goes on. Raiders are cursed in a sad way. We just can’t nail free agency or the draft year after year. But then again, only the Patriots have been able to that. God I can’t wait until Tom Brady retires. Thank God they traded Jimmy G away. Unfortunately it was to the hated 49ers, who took our 1st round pick in Mcklichey and started this whole “chicken with our heads cut off” in the draft situation for the Raiders to begin with. But with some luck (which the Raiders never have) maybe the 49ers taking Mcklichey was a blessing in disguise and Kolton Miller becomes the better Tackle? Fingers crossed.
No disrespect intended, Dustin, but I think you’re dramatically over-estimating Tom Brady’s skill & impact as well as allocating far too great a share of the credit for the immense success enjoyed by the Patriots over the past 15-plus seasons. The fact that the Patriots traded away Garoppolo is in fact pretty strong evidence of the organization’s lack of regard for the quarterback position in general; had they perceived Brady as integral to the team’s fortunes and his eventual departure a prospectively catastrophic blow to the team’s fortunes, they would HEVER have traded away a QB as gifted as Jimmy G. It’s not that I’m saying Tom Brady isn’t a very good quarterback; he’s just not the immortal deity that so many fans have made him out to be (a crowd-pleasing notion that the media has gleefully helped to perpetuate over the years).The truth of the matter is that Brady isn’t even the greatest quarterback of his generation (that distinction suits Aaron Rodgers (whom Al Davis passed over in favour of draft bust DB Vic Washington in an already crowded Raiders’ secondary despite a perennial hole at the position) far more-so than Brady. In fact, I don’t consider it much of a stretch to assert that the Patriots made Tom Brady as opposed to the inverse perception held by many NFL fans. While Brady has a fairly decent arm, he’s also benefitted over the years from having 5-10 second unmolested in a rock-solid pocket on the vast majority of passing downs that didn’t entail safety blitzes (during which he’d simply get rid of the ball on a quick screen in most instances). Furthermore, now that his prized offensive line has begun for various reasons (age, free agency, retirement) to show visible cracks, Brady has begun to experience something he rarely ever had to deal with during the first decade or so with the team; frequent pressure from a collapsing pocket. As a result, he’s started to look pretty damned ordinary and at times downright incompetent, commonly throwing into double coverage rather than simply throwing the ball away and hitting the turf far more frequently than ever before.
The Patriot’s 2018 Entry Draft is proof-positive that team management isn’t all that worried about finding Brady’s successor, especially considering the fact that the coming season is in all likelihood Brady’s last. They are clearly confident that whomever they put in there under center will ultimately fade just as well as his predecessor (“we made Tom Brady, we can make him again” would seem to be the prevailing opinion. In fact, if there’s one person whom you “can’t wait until (he) retires”, it should be Head Coach/GM Bill “The Evil Genius” Belichick, the real architect of the Patriot’s remarkable run of regular season, playoff and Super Bowl success! Fans in general are far too quick to assign the lion’s share of credit for a team’s success to the quarterback (how often have you heard someone use the expression “Tom Brady has won 6 Super Bowls”?) when in fact success in football, as much as (if not more so than) in any other sport is a team-oriented accomplishment. It’s just as fair in fact to suggest that the offensive interior or a defensive front 7 was responsible for a Super Bowl victory; it’s just not as sexy.
In New England’s case however, unlike that of most (if not all) other teams, the impressive win-loss record, dominant playoff success and Super Bowl dynasty is definitively dependent upon a single, indispensable individual and that’s Bill Belichick; once he retires, the AFC will be truly up for grabs for many years to come.. (Had Al Davis decided it was time to relinquish his hold on personnel decisions and had decided to hire Belichickt his first interview rather than passing on him in favour of a glorified figurehead lackwit like Dennis Allen, just imagine how different the NFL’s landscape would have looked. Those Super Bowls would have been ours, not New England’s, with or without Tom Brady under center. In my opinion, Al Davis’ decision not to hire Bill Belichick was the single worst of his entire career!)
Lol….3 long paragraphs to address a minor point about Brady/NE,made passingly in two sentences…
I agree with much of what you wrote, especially about Brady. Hindsight with Belichick is 20/20, he was mediocre as Cleveland’s head coach, not sure anyone would have predicted what he accomplished with Patriots.
The other thing you wrote that was confusing, you wrote Davis passed on Belichick to hire Dennis Allen?? Belichick was passed on to hire Gruden in 1998.
It would be more accurate to state that Belichick passed on the job, he realized Davis would not let him have full control of the defense, which was his specialty as an NFL coach.
You’re absolutely correct Mike. My apologies…I wrote the rambling retort above at 7:30 in the morning (it’s replete with personally uncharacteristic spelling mistakes & run-on sentences in addition to the egregious Raiders head coach time-line error that you brought to my attention. What I meant to say was “…passed on him for a glorious figurehead parade of lackwits like Dennis Allen (arguably the worst head coach in franchise history)”.
One or two points of contention, however….
Bill Belichick didn’t become head coach in New England until 2000 (which is why I made that mistake with the Raiders’ coaching timeline as it was immediately following Gruden’s tenure as HC). Nevertheless, the infamous Belichick interview with Al Davis did in fact take place in 1998 (Al later recalled that he very nearly did hire Belichick as he was genuinely worried that Gruden was too young to handle the inherent responsibilities & pressures of the gig, but ultimately decided to go with “Chucky” due to his offensive-mindedness and his flagrantly positive energy over the more stoic defensive specialist, recalling at a “pivotal moment” that he himself had been widely considered “too young” to be a head coach when he was first hired to man the post). however, Belichick was fired by Cleveland in 1995, 3 years prior to interviewing for the head coach opening in Oakland at which point he was re-hired by then Patriot’s head coach Bill Parcells as assistant head coach/defensive backs coach and later as defensive coordinator under Parcells when he moved on to the NY Jets in 1997 (Bill Parcells had originally hired Belichick 16 years earlier when the former was head coach of the NY Giants as special teams coordinator & defensive assistant, two positions that Belichick held from 1979-1985 when he added linebackers coach to his resume and was appointed defensive coordinator by Parcells later that same year. Under Parcells & Belichick, the Giants won two Super Bowls (1986 & 1990) before Belichick left the Giants for his first head coaching position with the Browns in 1991 (and while he only managed to amass a record of 36-44 during his 4 year tenure with Cleveland, he did manage to get them into the playoffs and to actually win a playoff game (Ironically versus the New England Patriots!) and that in itself is a rare achievement that very few coaches in NFL history can boast!).
Finally, it would certainly NOT be “more accurate to state that Belichick passed on the job” as Raiders’ head coach in 1998. In fact, as the process moved forward, Belichick became increasingly convinced that Davis was actually going to hire him based on the subject matter of multiple conversations. Furthermore, the popular misconception that Belichick was asking for too much control over the defense and the final say regarding personnel decisions and was subsequently passed-over for the Raiders’ head coach opening is a complete myth. The truth of the matter is that Belichick was asking for/demanding none of these provisions during his interview or at this point in his career as he was eager for another shot at being an NFL head coach and would’ve been grateful for this opportunity under virtually any terms or conditions had Al Davis decided to hire him rather than Jon Gruden. In fact Belichick was hardly in any position to be demanding lofty demands of a prospective employer considering the dubious and limited contents of his head coaching resume at the time and after not having served as an NFL head coach for over 3 years. So while it did very nearly happen, it was Davis who ultimately decided not to hire Belichick, not the latter’s decision to withdraw his name from consideration as you asserted in your retort of my initial comment.
Nonetheless, I genuinely appreciate your correcting of my earlier Raiders’ head-coach timeline error.
I like the 1st pick, agree with the importance of OT. Raiders are going as far as Carr and the Offense can take them. On the other hand, if a really good safety was on the board in Round 3 instead of the 2nd OT, that concerns me a bit. Hope the safeties we got get better and stay healthy! I too worry about Cable, though.
I don’t care about the draft grades, or the coaches and scouts disagreeing on anything.
Bottom line is no matter what anyone thinks, offensive tackle was by far our biggest need.
Especially if Penn is cut for his little altercation with his wife.
Our core starts and ends with Derek Carr. With Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and Justin Houston in our division, we can’t let the ends of our o-line be anything less then solid. Also take into consideration that even average tackles are getting big money in free agency, and there is a vast shortage of high talent at the position also.
Bottom line, getting two tackles in the first three rounds was the right call.
We also added great DTs, a solid CB, and an edge rusher who can be one of the best if he keeps his head right.
High risk picks, but I love the Raiders draft.
Hurst in round five is amazing. I wanted him in the second.
I don’t care about the draft grades, or the coaches and scouts disagreeing on anything.
Bottom line is no matter what anyone thinks, offensive tackle was by far our biggest need.
Especially if Penn is cut for his little altercation with his wife.
Our core starts and ends with Derek Carr. With Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and Justin Houston in our division, we can’t let the ends of our o-line be anything less then solid. Also take into consideration that even average tackles are getting big money in free agency, and there is a vast shortage of high talent at the position also.
Bottom line, getting two tackles in the first three rounds was the right call.
We also added great DTs, a solid CB, and an edge rusher who can be one of the best if he keeps his head right.
High risk picks, but I love the Raiders draft.
Hurst in round five is amazing. I wanted him in the second.
Cable shouldn’t have had any say at all.Don’t agree with the first pick at all should have gone defence.But some of the later picks were risky but good.
A Tale of Two Drafts…
What ever happened to best available player? They obviously went with need. I read in Tampa that Gruden would do the top of the draft and turn it over to the GM for the back half. After 3 picks I lost all faith in the Raiders, but maybe after that big Reg took over? I don’t know, but the reaches became steals
Let’s face it, Reggie has not drafted well. 2014 was his only good draft, mostly because that draft was stocked with quality players. He didn’t trade back or forth, didn’t play games, just took the best player and added stars. Every other draft he’s tried too hard to make something happen instead of taking the BPA, and passing up on players that become stars in the league. He didn’t draft any “stars” this year. He didn’t fill the team with talent. He reached for players he thought would go into a position. That strategy hasn’t worked will for him at all. Heck, they just traded away Jihad Ward which says “we made a mistake”.
And hearing about this draft room leaves me nervous for the upcoming Gruden years. He’s been away from coaching for a long time. Just because he’s been announcing doesn’t mean squat. He brought in old guys to coach which tells me he doesn’t have the eye for up and coming talent.
Give me a HALL Yeah!!!
Vic Tafur, the same guy who reported the Raiders had removed Maurice Hurst from their draft board entirely just hours before Raiders traded up to get him. Vic Tafur, the same guy who didn’t understand Aldon Smith’s contract tolled during his suspension. Vic Tafur is a rube, how he has a job is beyond me. You can pretty much bet the opposite of anything he says. Maybe the Raiders realise this and use him. I don’t know. What I do know is his reporting is horrifically off base.
Hind sight is 20/20. I wanted Edmunds, especially at 15 but we did need OT as much as I hated to admit it. We traded down as far as we could. If we wait for Kolton in the 2nd, maybe he’s gone and then what kind of OT do we get (we’ve already tried the 4th and 7th round thing). The amazing thing is, if we take the same players but in different rounds look at our draft: 1) Hurst 2) Miller 3a) Key 3b) Hill 4) Nelson 5) Parker 5) Ateman 6) Victor 7) Townsend. + Martavius Bryant, + Ryan Switzer, Addition by subtraction: Lathum, Ward. Not a bad draft weekend.
Vic Tafur this and Vic Tafur that, this Vic Tafur can go to hell. And the scouts can go with him. The coaches are the ones on the sideline calling the game and they are the ones who actually understand the players. If I here another Vic Tafur this or that or rumor or grade I’m gonna lose my sh*t!
The 2nd day on frim the draft the Raiders did an amazing job of addin Key and Hurst. Two top 5 players from 2016. These guys are going to help make Mack and the entire Oakland defense elite along with PJ Ball.
That means we need to resign Bowman and make this complete!
The one guy I said raiders had to draft was PJ hall, and if missed there Hurst….and then another DT later like jullian Taylor, instead they got both. I said Boy would Davenport look good n silver and black, but if miss there grab Arden key later….somehow we got Hurst and Hall and key along with our future starting tackles and a CB of Nelson’s talent…. then get P Townsend which got us pineiro in udfa(best to go with your holder). Ateman is as solid a 7th rd pick u can hope for. The next Marquez colston
I’ll make up my mind on how this draft went in about 3 years when we’ll know which of these guys is still on the team , how many of them are good players who are contributing and how many of them are busts .
It’s impossible to know how any of these kids will transition to the next level until they’ve been on the field for 2 to 3 years . The ” talking heads ” and beat writers turned analysts didn’t like Seattle’s 2011 draft which produced Richard Sherman and a couple of other really good players . Top tier , ” sexy ” picks have turned into complete busts ( see RGIII ) while players thought to be overrated end up being all pros . Much of how any of these kids turn out in the NFL doesn’t come gift wrapped in a box of stars or in neat little highlight tapes . It comes from desire and effort and yes , coaching and system fit . But these pundits get paid to do something and as long as they can package it up and put it on TV or get it published online or in a magazine , they may as well try and make it substantive .