The No. 4 pick is especially important for Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock and the Oakland Raiders. With the way the draft board is falling, they could get lucky.
The Arizona Cardinals might have the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but the Oakland Raiders will control things come April 25. With three first-round picks — one in the top five — and 10 picks overall, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock will have full control over the 2019 draft class. To make matters even better for the silver and black, the draft board looks likely to take a turn in their favor.
As it stands right now, the Raiders will have a serious shot at a premium defensive player at No. 4. In a class as defensively loaded as this one, Oakland is going to find it hard to go wrong with their first pick.
They have a guaranteed shot at one of the top four defensive prospects in this class, and they may even land Quinnen Williams. Fortunately for them, the Arizona Cardinals might go the unexpected route and take Kyler Murray at No. 1 overall.
If the Cardinals actually do pull the trigger on another quarterback, they’re only helping the Raiders. By passing up on Nick Bosa, the Cardinals can move every elite defensive prospect in this class down one spot, and let the Raiders pick up a truly great blue-chip player.
With their current roster construction, the Raiders need as much talent as they can get. After dealing away both their top defender in Khalil Mack and Derek Carr’s top target in Amari Cooper, the silver and black were left with a barren wasteland at some of the game’s most important positions.
In April, they’ll have a chance to find players throughout the draft that can fill those voids. But, there’s one thing Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have to do to get the Raiders on the right track: just hit, baby.