Draft insider Todd McShay submitted his 4.0 Mock Draft on Wednesday and he has moved away from Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with his final mock before the draft.
McShay has been saying that he doesn’t think the Raiders are going to draft Jeanty with the no. 6 pick and listed two defensive players to watch earlier in the week.
“Ashton Jeanty is one of my Tier 1 prospects, but he’s a running back. If you’re the Raiders picking at no. 6, do you draft the top edge defender on your board and hold out to see whether a player like TreVeyon Henderson is available when you pick again at no. 37? That’s what I’m hearing may happen,” McShay reported on Monday.
“It’s looking more likely that the Raiders could pass on Jeanty at 6 and target the best edge available, whether that be Jalon Walker or his UGA teammate Mykel Williams. My gut tells me Pete Carroll would opt for the traits of Williams, but it’s just a hunch.”
But in his 4.0 mock draft, McShay went away from Walker and Williams and settled on a surprise offensive lineman: Kelvin Banks Jr., from the University of Texas.
“Many rate Armand Membou higher, but Raiders general manager John Spytek and part-owner Tom Brady, who is very much involved in this decision, are big on culture, and Banks is one of the highest-character players in the draft,” McShay said. “He would immediately compete for the starting job at right tackle or guard. Left tackle Kolton Miller is entering the final year of his contract, so this pick would represent a short-term upgrade with long-term flexibility built in.”
McShay’s is the first mainstream mock draft to send Banks to the Raiders with the sixth pick and he made the pick with Armand Membou and Mason Graham still on the board.
The remainer of McShay’s first 10 picks didn’t travel quite as far off the beaten path, although the Carolina pick will raise some eyebrows, as well.
- Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
- Cleveland Browns: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
- New York Giants: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
- New England Patriots: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
- Las Vegas Raiders: Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas
- New York Jets: Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia
- Carolina Panthers: Walter Nolen, IDL, Mississippi
- New Orleans Saints: Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia
- Chicago Bears: Mason Graham, IDL, Michigan
Elsewhere around the league, draft insider Tony Pauline said he expects the Raiders to look for an offensive tackle at some point in the draft, but said the team feels good about the interior of their offensive line.
Additionally, Pauline shared a few thoughts on Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and the buzz around him going to the Raiders with the sixth pick.
“After the press conference from Pete Carroll and John Spytek last week, many feel it’s a lock that the Las Vegas Raiders will select Ashton Jeanty with the sixth pick of the draft,” Pauline reported on Monday.
“Yet in speaking with league sources since that press conference, no one told me Jeanty is a lock, as some ‘think’ it’ll be the running back, while others just don’t know. Most all I’ve spoken with still believe Armand Membou is in the conversation once the team is called to the clock. Just about everyone believes the Raiders will look to upgrade their tackle position at some point in the draft.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter also weighed in on the Raiders on Tuesday and said they could still go a lot of different directions with the no. 6 pick.
”Even though they have holes, they want to win now. They traded for Geno Smith, Pete Carroll loves to run the football, but still could use help along the offensive line and defensive line,” Schefter said.
”There’s a lot of ways that new GM John Spytek could go with that sixth overall pick.”
x: @raidersbeat
Mike Green is the best edge player in this draft. Even better than Abdul Carter. He has the best and most moves, he tested the best at the combine at his position, and was his conference player of the year.
Mike Green should be the pick at 6 for us.