Oakland Raiders come out as losers after two picks

The Oakland Raiders come out as losers, as they could’ve easily gotten better value in Leonard Williams and Dorial Green-Beckham.

In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders brought in Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, Gabe Jackson, Justin Ellis, and Keith McGill. All of these players are going to help the franchise become a playoff contender. Despite having the best draft last year, the Raiders started out the 2015 NFL Draft out well by selecting top receiver Amari Cooper. However, with how the board fell for the Raiders in the second round, it’s clear that the Raiders could’ve gotten better value in the first 35 picks of the draft.

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In the first round, the Raiders brought in arguably the best non-quarterback offensive player in the draft in Cooper. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Cooper has decent size. He ran a sub 4.33 40-yard dash, so it’s clear that he has that special combination of size and speed. Cooper is an elite route-runner. He has the best hands out of any prospect I’ve ever scouted. He also has excellent body control. Given his route-running skills, his intelligence, and his hands, Cooper is going to give Derek Carr a competent No. 1 weapon from the outside.

Although drafting Cooper made sense, as the need to bring in an elite target to work with Carr was vital, the fact of the matter is that the Raiders passed up on arguably the best player in this year’s draft class in Leonard Williams. Many draft experts had Williams as their top overall player. Williams would’ve been the perfect fit next to Mack, but the Raiders drafted Cooper instead. Here’s what Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller had to say about Williams:

"“I really do think so. He is so athletic and so versatile that you can make him work in just about any defense. I think he’s a special caliber player. If I’m a defensive coordinator, I’m looking at him and saying, ‘Okay, he’s not going to be J.J. Watt, but you can use him in a lot of the same ways.’ He plays 3-4 defensive end, he can play inside as a pass rusher on third down – he can really just be a chess piece on the defensive line, and that’s so valuable in today’s NFL.”"

In the second round of the draft, the Raiders drafted defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., which sort of made sense considering the Raiders needed to continue to build their pass rush. But once top-ten pick Randy Gregory was still on the board and he not only would be a better fit, but he wouldn’t be a reach either. If the Raiders had drafted Williams in the first, they could’ve gotten a top wide receiver in the second round in either Dorial Green-Beckham or Jaelen Strong.

Considering that the Raiders drafted Cooper and, really, reached for Edwards Jr. in the second round, the Raiders have to hope that these two players can make immediate contributions to the team in 2015. Having Williams and, let’s say, Green-Beckham on the roster instead of Cooper and Edwards Jr. sounds much better. Nevertheless, the draft is still young, and although the Raiders have made their top two picks and seem to be happy with them, they need to continue to evaluate the best talent and draft the right guys.

Next: Oakland Raiders get a WR Derek Carr needs in Amari Cooper

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