With the no. 6 pick in the draft, the Raiders are in a position similar to where they have been in the past.
With the draft still more than a month away, it looks like the Raiders are going to be just outside the reach of one of the consensus top players in the draft like Cam Ward, Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter.
Mock drafts have been all over the board with the no. 6 pick, but one of the popular choices for the Raiders in recent weeks has been Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Some would argue the no. 6 pick is too early for a running back and that might be the sentiment among the decision makers in Las Vegas, as well.
According to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter, the Raiders are prepared to be in a situation with the no. 6 pick where they aren’t blown away by any of their options – or at least believe they can get players at the top of their board a little later in the draft.
“I believe based on how I think the draft is going to go, that they would ideally prefer to trade down,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
In a previous podcast, Carpenter said he surveyed five NFL executives who all believed Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is the player to watch for the Raiders if they don’t trade their first-round pick.
The Michigan connection with Tom Brady and John Spytek is worth taking into consideration, but Graham is a player that belongs in the conversation to be one of the first five players taken in the draft.
“If you took the bottom five teams in the draft (the teams with the best records), Mason Graham would never get close to [pick] six,” Carpenter said.
All things considered, Graham seems to be one of the safest picks at the top of the draft and he comes with plenty of upside. The Raiders don’t necessarily have a need at defensive tackle, but Adam Butler will turn 31 next month and Christian Wilkins will turn 30 in December.
It’s no secret that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham likes to rotate his lineman, and that would be a commodity he didn’t have in 2024.
If the Raiders aren’t able to trade the no. 6 pick and they aren’t enthusiastic about any of the quarterbacks in that that position, taking Graham would make a lot of sense.
In that scenario, the quarterback to watch later in the draft would be Ohio State’s Will Howard, who would love to reconnect with Chip Kelly in Las Vegas.
x: @raidersbeat
Find a trade partner, trade down, obtain an extra 3rd, then draft O-Line with 1st, RB with 2nd, then WR & QB with the 2 thirds
For once, I may have to agree with Carpenter. Unless there is a surprise in the first five picks, that leaves a jewel for the Raiders, I think they will trade down with Dallas, which is #12, because i think they want Jeanty. If we are doing this at the draft, we may be able swap first rounds, and be able to squeeze their second round out of them, maybe add a 3 or 4 pick. With 12, we could still go RB, Hampton or Henderson, or WR McMillan. Still, it’s probably early for receiver. I think they should build the core, but I get the feeling they want a playmaker. With two second round picks, the Raiders would have more options.