Quinnen Williams was one of the most disruptive defensive tackles in the NFL in 2020 and according to The Athletic‘s Vic Tafur, the Raiders probably could have drafted him in 2019.
The Raiders owned the fourth-overall pick in 2019 and ultimately drafted Clelin Ferrell because Williams was drafted third by the Jets. There were multiple reports that the Raiders had conversations about trading up from the fourth pick in 2019, but ultimately it didn’t happen.
“In hindsight, the time to trade for Quinnen Williams was in that draft. The Raiders were convinced they could trade down from No. 4 and still get Clelin Ferrell later, and they probably could have easily traded up to No. 3 to get Williams. He is not going anywhere now.”
Assuming Tafur’s information is accurate, it would be interesting to know why the Raiders ultimately bulked at the opportunity to trade up for Williams. The Raiders had two more picks in the first round that year that ultimately were used on Josh Jacobs (pick 24) and Johnathan Abram (pick 27).
Maybe the Jets asking price ended up being too much?
Whatever the case, it’s notable how many reports have indicated that the Raiders believed they could get Ferrell much later in the draft (apparently similar to the mindset they had on Damon Arnette)… but still decided he was worth taking with the fourth-overall pick. So far, the first round of the 2019 draft hasn’t yielded the best returns for the Raiders, but maybe 2021 will be the year that all changes.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I think it is moot to discuss things like this. Gruden has shown that he makes horrible decisions and should not be a GM (Mayock is GM on paper only), a Head Coach, n shouldnt be in broadcast booth either.
If Gruden had any self-respect, cared about the fans, or truly was a Raider he would step aside as he proclaimed he would do handing back his money because he has failed and any other team he would have been fired already.
If it is true that he acquired ownership interest in team as an owner he should care about bottom line and that means replacing himself.
Raiders are very sloppy with all 3 off-season tasks.
Poor character and or talent judgment in Free Agency
Substandard talent evaluation in the Draft
Naivety in trading with other NFL organizations and always coming out on the losing end of a deal.
Only 2 people to blame… Gruden and Mayock
Gotta clean that up
What are you guys seeing? The offense can play with anyone, including the Chiefs. The defense needs discipline and much better coaching, and a minimum 2 new starters from the draft. The loss to the Chiefs mentally killed this team, and the wins against playoff teams KC, Cleveland, NO along with last minute losses to the chargers, KC, and Miami tells me if we can continue offensively and improve on defense, we can compete for the top prize.
Gonna give him one more year, he have a bad ego problem, when he first got the raiders job the 2nd time. Twice in training camp he boasted about putting his coaching staff against any in the league, he said that twice during p training camp once during preseason, I thought , where the heck did that come from. Well we know he’s not that good himself.It’s common knowledge he’s not a good talent evaluator . Said he’d give a lot for Johnny Manziel. He needs a real offensive coordinator to help , some coaches to respectfully challenge him. Humble yourself Gruden, as you can see you’re not great yet.