Oakland Raiders: Leonard Williams A Perfect Fit

With the fourth pick in the NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders sit in a very precarious position. The team has several needs across the board with wide receiver and defensive back chief among them. There are not many defensive backs worthy of a top 10 pick but there are a few receivers who are so should they select a possibly elite wideout?

There is also the argument that the Raiders should simply take the best player available. Depending on how the first three picks go, and depending on who you ask, the best player available is either going to be Amari Cooper, Kevin White, or Leonard Williams.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely select Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston and the Tennessee Titans have been linked to Marcus Mariota. The Jaguars drafted Blake Bortles in the first round last year and expected him to play and produce with several undrafted wide receivers. Those receivers performed admirably but he needs some serious talent around him much the way Derek Carr does, leading to speculation that Jacksonville will select Amari Cooper.

If Cooper is selected with the third pick then the Raiders will have to decide between Kevin White and Leonard Williams. The former Trojan has drawn comparisons to Richard Seymour and Kevin Williams because of his size, strength, athleticism, and his ability to play both tackle and end. Williams is often described as a physical freak who can dominate opponents using his natural gifts but is still a bit rough around the edges.

The same can also be said of West Virginia’s Kevin White but there is a deciding factor between the two that must be discussed. Tradition is the lifeblood of the Raiders organization and Al Davis spent nearly 50 years of his life creating one of the most prestigious franchises in sports. Save for the last 10 or so years, the Raiders have consistently been one of the better teams in the league and have three Super Bowl rings to show for it.

Part of that success is the fact that players wanted to play for the Raiders and their desire and will to succeed in Silver and Black was just as important as their talent. Leonard Williams is one of the few prospcts in the draft to publicly proclaim his desire to play for Oakland. He grew up in Bakersfield, California as a Raider fan and wants to restore the team to its former glory.

Back in December, he told Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times that he “would love to play for Oakland.”

After taking over for his father , Marc Davis and Reggie McKenzie began a process of rebuilding the culture of the Raiders. The team had fallen behind the times in recent years and much was needed to be done to bring them up to speed. Changing the culture of a franchise that has been a basement team for the last 10 years is not easy.

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