Oakland Raiders 2014 NFL Draft Wrap-up
Sept 1, 2012; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs offensive linesman Gabe Jackson (61) during the game against the Jackson State Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Jackson State Tigers 56-9. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports
Overall Draft Evaluation
Where they went right:
With their selections of Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Gabe Jackson and Justin Ellis, the Raiders did the right thing. They did the right thing because they: A). Got a great back up and potential starting QB, B). An offensive lineman to protect said QB and help out with the running game C). A pass rushing linebacker to give the Raiders one of the best front 7’s (arguably) in the AFC D). A defensive tackle to stuff the run. Antonio Smith, Justin Tuck, Lamar Woodley, Kevin Burnett, Nick Roach, Khalil Mack and Justin Ellis could potentially be that 7 man wrecking crew that Al Davis always envisioned. Carr is a solid choice at QB because of his ability to throw the deep ball (preferably to streaker Denarius Moore). Mack has already proven to be extremely lethal against the run. As far as the front 7 is concerned, the Raiders nailed their draft picks and off-season additions. (Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson were nice offensive additions, too).
Where they went wrong:
Although I agree with the additions of at least one corner back to the Raiders defense, I think the Raiders could have used some additions to free safety and strong safety. The Raiders already got Brown and Rogers from the 49ers so they don’t really need any more corner backs. The addition of DE Shelby Harris could have been a bit arbitrary considering that the Raiders are stacked.
The Bottom Line: C+/B-
Additions of Gabe Jackson and Khalil Mack should prove to be lasting in the long term. The Raiders early picks were great, however because of the later additions of CBs and DE Shelby Harris, the Raiders get a C+ record. I’m not saying that they had a horrible off-season, in fact with their free agent signings, their off-season was one of the best in the NFL.