The Raiders are sitting on the fourth pick in the draft, but could be in a precarious position on draft day if Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams happen to be off the board when the Raiders are on the clock.
With Arizona all but certain to take Kyler Murray with the first pick, it will come down to the 49ers and the Jets to decide whether either of the elite defenders will fall to the Raiders. Bosa is widely considering the top prospect in the draft and is believed to be the top man on the Raiders draft board. Furthermore, there has been speculation that the Raiders might consider trading up to draft Bosa… but would the cost be too great?
Maybe not.
To begin with, the 49ers, who draft second, just added an edge rusher in Dee Ford. After signing an $85 million deal, will San Francisco want to spend their most valuable resource on another pass rusher? No one would blame them if they did, but it has to be a thought that Niners’ general manager John Lynch is mulling.
Bosa should fit nicely into the 49ers scheme, but how would he fit into the Bay Area culture?
Remember, Bosa has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and a known critic of Colin Kaepernick – neither of which would be quickly forgiven in arguably the most politically liberal climate in the country. Unlike the Raiders, the 49ers aren’t leaving the Bay Area and Bosa’s political views (and willingness to share them) wouldn’t be ignored in San Francisco (as social media has already confirmed).
No one understands political controversy better than the 49ers and it will be interesting to see if the Kaepernick experience would affect the team’s thinking on Bosa. Believe what you will about the 49ers, but they are the only team that actually dumped Kaepernick. Their stance may have been in support of Colin, but they did abandon him for C.J. Beathard and Brian Hoyer.
Locker rooms can handle a lot, but racial and political controversy is a road no team wants to travel. And the presence of social media guarantees the theatrics on both sides won’t be quieting anytime soon.
As for Bosa, even if the 49ers decide to pass on him, the Jets would more than likely do cartwheels to the podium to take him.
“I don’t think the Jets would take Nick Bosa over Josh Allen. I know the Jets would take Nick Bosa over Josh Allen,” Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News said this week. “That being said, Bosa is not getting past the 49ers at no. 2.”
So if the Raiders really have Bosa at the top of their draft board, as reports have suggested, the path to getting him would surely involve a trade. Maybe the 49ers would entertain a trade to move back to the fourth pick… and maybe the cost wouldn’t be quite as high because of Bosa’s political views… and dislike for Beyoncé’s music.
The Raiders were known at the combine to be asking what the cost would be to move up to the first pick. Maybe trading up to the second pick would be something a little more palatable.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Who said that he is racist? Supporting you president and not liking Beyonce’s music is NOT racist. Also not supporting Colin’s kneeling to the National Anthem is the opposite of racism. This article, whilst interesting, does not prove the Bosa is racist but it does show that the writer might be….
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That said, I’d rather have Williams than Bosa and wouldn’t lose any sleep over taking Allen
Where does the article say he’s a racist???
leave the politics at home!
RAIDERS!!!!!!
Leave the political and religion views out of football…I don’t care who he supports on what he believes. All I care, CAN HE PLAY???