Raiders Draft Needs: Where Does Oakland Need Help Most?
Rookies and second-year players such as Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Sio Moore and Latavius Murray stepped to the forefront to make an immediate impact on the 2014 Oakland Raiders team.
General manager Reggie McKenzie is four months away from selecting what the front office hopes to be another productive draft class.
The Raiders have two objectives for the upcoming draft: supply newly anointed franchise quarterback Carr with offensive skill players to help his development and build a defense from the inside out.
Oakland will need immediate help in five particular positions to propel the franchise from the bottom to a playoff team.
5. Running Back
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It’s time to turn the page on Oakland’s backfield. For the first 11 weeks of the season, Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew were non-factors. It took second-year running back Latavius Murray to pull the rushing attack out of the grave.
After eight years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones-Drew clearly isn’t the same player in Oakland.
He’ll be 30 in March.
In today’s NFL, 30-year-old running backs aren’t carrying the load out of the backfield at a successful rate. Frank Gore (fourth in the league in rushing yards) is the only running back 30 years or older to rush for 1,000-plus yards this season.
Steven Jackson (707 rushing yards) of the Atlanta Falcons and Fred Jackson (525 rushing yards) of the Buffalo Bills are the only other featured running backs on an NFL team at the age of 30 years or older.
The other veteran running back in Oakland hasn't played a full season without injury. McFadden only recorded one 1,000-yard season in his seven-year tenure in Oakland. It’s time to cut ties with him as he becomes a free agent this offseason.
The Raiders need to restock the deck with young talent and fresh legs.
Draft pick suggestion: Karlos Williams (FSU)
4. Defensive Tackle
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The most poignant position for run-stopping ranks fourth on this list below other defensive needs—simply because a switch to a 3-4 base defense eliminates the need for two solid nose tackles on the field at once.
Rookie Justin Ellis was ranked 15th among all defensive tackles against the run this season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The weakness in Ellis’ attributes is his non-existent pass rush. He’s not a complete player at the position, but he has major upside.
The Raiders surrendered 119.4 yards per game on the ground this season. Adding an extra run-stopper on the defensive line is a viable solution for the Raiders' weak interior defense, specifically out of a 4-3 base defense.
Draft pick suggestion: Chucky Hunter (TCU)
3. Inside Linebacker
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The fact that the Raiders lack a natural inside linebacker ranks this need above a defensive tackle.
Miles Burris, a natural outside linebacker, isn’t excelling as a makeshift inside linebacker. He’s obviously outside his element.
The Raiders will need exceptional playmaking ability from the linebacker corps because of their weak pass rush.
With the team continuing to build the defensive line, it’ll be critical to solidify a trio of young talent at the back end of the front seven.
Oftentimes, the middle linebacker is the quarterback and the heartbeat of the interior defense. Great players such as Ray Lewis, London Fletcher and Tedy Bruschi come to mind as players who spearheaded their respective defenses in the middle of the field.
Oakland's defense is in need of an emotional leader and centerpiece when defending the run and covering intermediate pass routes.
Draft pick suggestion: Eric Kendricks (UCLA)
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2. Defensive End
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C.J. Wilson will test the free-agent market. Antonio Smith and Justin Tuck are in the twilight of their respective careers. The two veteran pass-rushers combined for eight sacks this season. Both enter the final year of their contracts.
Oakland is in dire need of a playmaker off the edge—someone with a track record for taking down quarterbacks and pushing opposing offensive tackles to their limits.
Finding a shutdown cornerback is tough with the rules favoring wide receivers as they look up for a pass interference call on virtually every play. Oakland must find ways to pressure the QB and accumulate more sacks.
Drafting this year’s NCAA sack leader could potentially impact the Raiders defensive line more than any other draft pick.
Draft pick suggestion: Nate Orchard (Utah)
1. Wide Receiver
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Wide receiver isn’t the end-all, be-all of a playoff team.
However, the Cincinnati Bengals' Wild Card Game illustrated what could happen to the Raiders if Carr doesn't have enough offensive skill players around him. The A.J. Green-less Bengals not only lost the playoff game but were hard to watch.
Currently, the Raiders have a No. 3 receiver as Carr’s go-to guy in the passing attack. Yes, it sufficed this season, but what happens next season when teams have a complete season of film on Carr?
He’ll need more talented receivers to progress in his development.
James Jones and Andre Holmes are the 89th and 91st-ranked wide receivers in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. In a league of 32 teams, this indicates both players are third-option receivers.
Carr has to grow as a pocket passer to propel the Raiders to playoff contention. The Raiders were dead-last in picking up first downs, only converted 33.9 percent of third downs (24th in the NFL) and ranked 31st in scoring points this season (15.8 points per game).
If Oakland’s offense cannot score, move the ball or sustain offensive drives, the defense, no matter how talented, will eventually erode. A defense that’s left on the field too long is vulnerable.
Sometimes, the best defense is a solid offense. The Dallas Cowboys are a great example. Their defense doesn’t feature star players, won’t force the most turnovers or accumulate the most sacks, but their offense keeps the defense off the field.
A QB-RB-WR trio is the quickest formula to relevancy in the NFL as opposed to building a defense over time.
The Raiders can continue to build their young core of defensive players in the subsequent rounds, but the passing attack needs a significant upgrade.
Allowing Carr to regress due to a lack of collective offensive talent could be a death blow to the franchise.
Drafting a consistent wide receiver could eventually give the Raiders the best offense in the AFC West when considering Peyton Manning’s retirement on the horizon and an aging offensive core in San Diego.
Draft pick suggestion: Amari Cooper (Alabama)
Advanced statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com.
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