Raiders Insider Offers “Strong Option” Other Than Ashton Jeanty at Pick 6

Ashton Jeanty continues to be the popular projection to the Raiders with the no. 6 pick in the draft, but what will John Spytek and company do if Jeanty isn’t available or they decide the running back class is deep enough to address the position later in the draft?

That’s the question The Athletic’s Vic Tafur was asked in a segment on the Raiders’ flagship radio station on Wednesday and he dropped a name that hasn’t been linked to the Raiders as much in recent days.

“If Mason Graham is there at six, I wouldn’t be surprised if [the Raiders] take him,” Tafur said on Raider Nation Radio’s Unnecessary Roughness with Q Myers.

“I think they want to have that Eagles type defensive line,” Tafur continued. “That would definitely be a clear strength for them, the guys who can rotate in and out. There would be a lot of talent in that D-line, I think, in Mason Graham. So that could be a strength… so I still think he’s a strong option there at six, even if Jeanty is on the board.”

Most consider Jeanty to be the top running back in this year’s class, but with so many draft options at the position, the Raiders might be hesitant to take a running back in the first round.

With significant needs at wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback, offensive line and, arguably, the quarterback position (in the long term), the Raiders wouldn’t be out of line to address any of those positions in the first round.

Graham is an interior defensive lineman, but the defensive tackles in Vegas aren’t particularly young, so it wouldn’t hurt to address that area of the roster, either.

If the Raiders don’t go with Jeanty or Graham, the other player to watch is LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell. It’s always a good decision to invest in the trenches and Campbell has the tools to become one of the NFL’s better offensive linemen much sooner than later.

For what it’s worth, Spytek made headlines last week when he shared the story of his son’s affinity for the aforementioned Jeanty.

“My oldest son has made it no secret, if we do not pick Ashton Jeanty at six, that he is walking out of the family and he is gonna find somebody else,” Spytek told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Probably whoever takes Ashton… Jack is motivated by fantasy football and touchdowns in fantasy football. Not necessarily all of the team building.”

Given the fact that Spytek isn’t trying to build a fantasy team in Las Vegas, could his comments be a sign the Raiders might be leaning away from Jeanty at the moment?

x: @raidersbeat