2020 NFL Mock Draft: Panthers start anew with Jalen Hurts, Cowboys luck into Delpit
player. 28. . WR. Las Vegas Raiders. Henry Ruggs III. 15
Pick via Bears
Just when you think that the Oakland Raiders are starting to turn the corner under head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock, they’ve now lost two consecutive games by a combined score of 74-12. This is clearly a team that’s heading in the right direction ahead of their move to Las Vegas but isn’t there yet. And while you might argue that moving on from Derek Carr and drafting a quarterback could be on the docket, that’s not for me here.
Henry Ruggs III is the move, though. The Alabama speedster would give the Raiders offense multiple elements that they simply don’t have on offense right now. His wheels would obviously give Oakland an elite burner to take advantage of teams down the field but Ruggs is also versatile with his ability to make plays with quickness and speed in short areas of the field. He’s a great weapon for Oakland.
Isaiah Simmons. 16. player. 28. . LB. Las Vegas Raiders
Picking back-to-back, first with the selection owed to them from the Khalil Mack trade, the Raiders use one pick to address a big hole on offense and now use the second to look at the defense. Linebacker has been a glaring hole for Oakland’s defense for some time now and no minor move they’ve made to this point has addressed that. So we’re going with Isaiah Simmons at No. 16.
Simmons is another freak athlete that boasts tremendous speed for his position and can be an elite coverage player for the Raiders defense at linebacker. While you do worry a little about his lack of size in terms of coming down into gaps to make plays, Simmons has enough athleticism to make teams drool and for Oakland to let him slip past them at a position of great need.