Oakland Raiders' Mock Draft and Big Board: Updated Day 3 Predictions

On Day 2 of the NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders continued to add bulk and pass-rushing components to their front seven. 

The Raiders’ draft team selected Illinois defensive lineman Jihad Ward with the No. 44 overall pick and Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun at No. 75.

Head coach Jack Del Rio sat down with local reporters, per the team’s official website, to recap Oakland’s second- and third-round selections. He denied coming into the draft focusing specifically on defensive voids on the roster.

In fairness to Del Rio’s claim, it became a shocker to see Calhoun, a productive edge-rusher, slip through the cracks into the third round.

As far as roster needs, the Raiders have addressed the strong safety and interior defensive lineman positions as expected. Calhoun dropped to No. 75 as a bonus.

Despite ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter’s tweet concerning Ward’s potential pending arthroscopic knee surgery, Del Rio expressed confidence in all three rookies working to earn live snaps in the upcoming season.

In the first round, the Raiders added the presumptive final piece to the secondary with their No. 14 overall pick, safety Karl Joseph. In the second and third rounds, Oakland picked up insurance depth for defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and Aldon Smith; both defensive linemen face uncertainties in their playing time for the 2016 season. 

Based on the depth chart and general manager Reggie McKenzie’s word to “get some help,” per CSNBayArea.com reporter Scott Bair, expect the Raiders to draft a running back in Round 4. Beyond that point, the defense needs depth and competition at inside linebacker.

With that said, we’ll go through a final top-100 big board and mock draft for Rounds 4-7. How will Oakland finish off a solid draft class in 2016?

Top-100 Big Board

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After three draft rounds, here's the updated top-100 big board for the Raiders. Don't overlook this table as a list of practice squad players and career backups.

Keep in mind that the Raiders selected running back Latavius Murray (sixth round), defensive back T.J. Carrie (seventh round), defensive tackle Justin Ellis (fourth round) and linebacker Ben Heeney (fifth round) in the latter portion of their respective draft classes. There are hidden gems on Day 3. Will McKenzie draft another underrated talent?

Oakland Raiders Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
2	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
3	Andrew Billings	DT	Baylor
4	Scooby Wright III	LB	Arizona
5	Tyler Matakevich	LB	Temple
6	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
7	Alex Collins	RB	Arkansas
8	Daniel Lasco	RB	California
9	Deon Bush	S	Florida
10	Kelvin Taylor	RB	Florida
11	Keith Marshall	RB	Georgia
12	Clayton Fejedelem	S	Illnois
13	B.J. Goodson	LB	Clemson
14	Wendell Smallwood	RB	West Virginia
15	Daniel Braverman	WR	Western Michigansp
16	Jonathan Williams	RB	Arkansas
17	Vadal Alexander	OG	LSU
18	Joshua Perry	LB	Ohio State
19	Sheldon Day	DT	Notre Dame
20	Harlan Miller	CB	Southeastern Louisiana
21	Tre Madden	RB	USC
22	DeAndre Elliott	CB	Colorado State
23	Christian Westerman	OG	Arizona State
24	Connor McGovern	OG	Missouri
25	Keenan Reynolds	RB	Navy
26	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
27	Charles Tapper	DE	Oklahoma
28	Ronald Blair	DE	Appalachian State
29	Jason Fanaika	DE	Utah
30	Victor Ochi	LB	Stony Brook
31	Ken Crawley	CB	Colorado
32	Jatavis Brown	LB	Akron
33	Stephen Anderson	FB	California
34	Rashard Robinson	CB	LSU
35	LeShaun Sims	CB	Southern Utah
36	Jonathan Jones	CB	Auburn
37	D.J. Foster	RB	Arizona State
38	Keyarris Garrett	WR	Tulsa
39	Derrick Kindred	S	TCU
40	D.J. Reader	DT	Clemson
41	Devon Cajuste	WR	Stanford
42	Ryan Smith	CB	North Carolina Central
43	Aaron Burbridge	WR	Michigan State
44	Kolby Listenbee	WR	TCU
45	Eric Murray	CB	Minnesota
46	Matt Ioannidis	DT	Temple
47	Dadi Lhomme Nicolas	LB	Virginia Tech
48	Kavon Frazier	S	Central Michigan
49	Anthony Brown	CB	Purdue
50	Blake Martinez	LB	Stanford
51	Jordan Howard	RB	Indiana
52	Evan Boehm	C	Missouri
53	Robby Anderson	WR	Temple
54	Charone Peake	WR	Clemson
55	Ka'imi Fairbairn	K	UCLA
56	Doug Middleton	S	Appalachian State
57	Demarcus Robinson	WR	Georgia
58	John Lunsford	K	Liberty
59	Deiondre' Hall	CB	Northern Iowa
60	Chris Moore	WR	Cincinnati
61	Ross Martin	K	Duke
62	Kentrell Brothers	LB	Missouri
63	Malcolm Mitchell	WR	Georgia
64	Jack Allen	C	Michigan State
65	Austin Blythe	C	Iowa
66	De'Vondre Campbell	LB	Minnesota
67	Aaron Wallace	LB	UCLA
68	Kalan Reed	CB	Southern Mississippi
69	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado State
70	Jay Lee	WR	Baylor
71	Joe Dahl	OG	Washington State
72	Paul McRoberts	WR	Southeast Missouri State
73	Ricardo Louis	WR	Auburn
74	Antonio Morrison	LB	Florida
75	Glenn Gronkowski	FB	Kansas State
76	Josh Forrest	LB	Kentucky
77	James Cowser	DE	Southern Utah
78	Ron Thompson	DE	Syracuse
79	Romeo Okwara	DE	Notre Dame
80	Jordan Payton	WR	UCLA
81	K.J. Dillon	S	West Virginia
82	Joe Schobert	LB	Wisconsin
83	Anthony Zettel	DE	Penn State
84	Kenny Lawler	WR	California
85	Matt Skura	C	Duke
86	Eric Striker	LB	Oklahoma
87	John Theus	OT	Georgia
88	Zack Sanchez	CB	Oklahoma
89	Dominique Alexander	LB	Oklahoma
90	Aaron Wallace	LB	UCLA
91	Jayron Kearse	S	Clemson
92	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
93	Nick Kwiatkoski	LB	West Virginia
94	Kyle Friend	C	Temple
95	Jared Norris	LB	Utah
96	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
97	Tyrone Holmes	LB	Montana
98	De'Runnya Wilson	WR	Mississippi State
99	Ian Seau	DE	Nevada
100	Brandon Shell	OT	South Carolina

Round 4, Pick 114: Kenneth Dixon, RB, Louisiana Tech

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As previously mentioned, it’s time to address the running back position. Fortunately for the Raiders, only four running backs have been selected through three rounds.

Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon would serve as the best complementary option in the backfield.

Murray has shown the ability to run in between the tackles and shoot gaps in spurts. However, he’s not the most reliable receiver in the flat and struggles to break runs outside the tackles to add variety to his run tendencies.

On the collegiate level, Dixon developed into a reliable pass-catcher with the ability to accumulate yardage in chunks on the ground. He also flashes more lateral quickness to stretch runs east and west as opposed to a predictable north-south approach through downs.

As a four-year starter, the Louisiana Tech tailback finished his career averaging 5.6 yards per carry with 87 total touchdowns. With scatback qualities, he’s capable of reaching the end zone on any given play as a receiver or ball-carrier.

Round 5, Pick 143: Daniel Braverman, WR, Western Michigan

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At this point, Oakland must consider upgrades across the entire roster. In the previous season, the Raiders passing offense ranked No. 6 in touchdown scores, but quarterback Derek Carr needs a bail-out wide receiver.

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave can design a conservative play and still hit a home run with a skilled speed receiver.

Wideout Daniel Braverman can run quick hitches and comeback routes, which create more high-percentage throwing opportunities. The Western Michigan prospect has the ability to turn a five-yard pitch-and-catch into a 20-yard dash downfield.  

Similar to wideout Amari Cooper, Braverman runs disciplined routes and understands how to find holes within zone schemes. At 5’10”, 177 pounds, he’s undersized but flashes above-average field awareness to avoid big hits and take advantage of loose coverage.

Round 5, Pick 154: Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona

Arizona prospect Scooby Wright’s prior injuries hurt his draft stock, but the former NCAA Defensive Player of Year would add talent and toughness to the inside linebacker position in Oakland.

When healthy, Wright plays unhinged and becomes almost indefensible at the point of attack. His play style mirrors Heeney's. They’re defenders who play with high energy and instincts to track the football. 

At the moment, it’s better to acquire another version of Heeney as opposed to handing the second-year linebacker a starting spot by default. 

In a 3-4 scheme, Heeney and Wright could roll through the offensive line like wrecking balls to stop the run or pressure quarterbacks in designed blitzes. The Arizona prospect comes into the league with limitations as a coverage defender but shows exceptional ability to record stops at the heart of the defense.

Round 6, Pick 194: Landon Turner, OG, North Carolina

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At one point, draft sites projected North Carolina offensive guard Landon Turner as a second- or third-round prospect. Currently, he’s slated to hear his name called in the sixth round, per CBS Sports' rankings.

According to NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein, Turner translates into a one-dimensional mauler on the interior who struggles in pass protection. At 6’4”, 330 pounds, he satisfies the weight requirement to join the Raiders’ massive offensive line known as “Carr Insurance.” 

As a three-year starter at the same position, Turner knows his strengths and weaknesses. The coaching staff will likely work on Turner’s footwork, but offensive line coach Mike Tice can utilize the prospect’s gross strength as a reserve interior lineman in case injury strikes during the season.

The Raiders can implement his ability to knock defenders off the line of scrimmage in jumbo packages, goal-line situations and general power-rush schemes.

Round 7, Pick 234: Deiondre' Hall, DB, Northern Iowa

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Every year, McKenzie finds a hidden gem in the latter rounds. Northern Iowa doesn’t produce NFL stars on a yearly basis, but Deiondre’ Hall possesses star qualities as a press cornerback who can shift over to safety due to his clean tackling technique and coverage abilities.

Zierlein compared Hall to Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson. It’s high praise, but his skills jump off the film. When extending his arms in coverage, he nets 50-50 throws without giving the defender a chance at the football. At 6’2”, 199 pounds, he can cover bigger receivers and win physical battles on the perimeter. 

Whether Hall lines up as a safety or cornerback, he becomes an opportunistic defender who will look to force turnovers. He accumulated 13 interceptions during his collegiate career. Northern Iowa’s low profile has kept him under wraps, but the Raiders can strike gold with him on the roster as an all-purpose defensive back.

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