The majority of mock drafts in the last few weeks have Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty going to the Raiders with the no. 6 pick, but Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter brought up a new name watch in his latest podcast.
Carpenter has the Raiders taking University of Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker in his latest mock draft, but it was a statement on Walker by an anonymous NFL executive that was even more eye opening.
Carpenter said he polled five NFL executives who were all drafting after the Raiders and one of those executives said his team puts Walker in a category with two of the most dynamic linebackers to enter the draft in the last 10 years.
”Jeanty clearly has value at [pick] six, but we have Jalon as the best linebacker coming out since Micah Parsons,” the NFL executive told Carpenter. “And we had Micah at the same grade as Khalil [Mack].”
Obviously, that’s a huge statement about Walker and if his potential is anywhere close to Parsons and Mack, he deserves serious consideration with the sixth pick, or even sooner.
In his latest mock draft, Todd McShay has the Jacksonville Jaguars taking Walker one pick ahead of the Raiders, so there is definite buzz around the Georgia linebacker with the draft now less than two weeks away.
As for Jeanty, he’s still a popular pick for the Silver & Black. McShay and Mel Kiper both have him going to Las Vegas in their latest mock drafts.
Right now, though, the beat writers covering the Raiders seem to be leaning away from Jeanty just a little.
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur talked about the draft in a radio segment 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.”
x: @raidersbeat
I think that I will ALSO do a dozen or so Mock Drafts… that way when it is over I can Proclaim “I got it correct at #6” Pure Genius
Hopefully, they are looking at other options besides Jeanty. This is a strong draft for RB, so they could still get a quality back in the 3rd rd.
So do you want a generational rb or do you want a white or mattison? Ashton almost beat Barry Sanders record. Have you ever heard of Barry?
How many quality teams did Boise play this year? He’s small and presumably slow but he broke a lot of tackles against future office workers.
The Eagles had the benefit of multiple teams passing on J Carter including us (thanks again McZiggy). They nab J.Davis in the mid 1st and Carter at 10. Graham would have to play like A.Donald and he doesn’t have that gear. This isn’t a great year to be picking top 10. Trade back and get what you can. This is a rebuild no matter what Pete says.
Just pick Ashton Jeanty at 6 and be done with it. We need him case closed. Move on to round 2 qb. Round 3 WR. And then you have a whole pile of picks left including the UFA. We will be okay. Win 8 or 9 games this season and rip it up next year!