The Pick: This is a classic Mike Mayock selection. He praises players with high football character and leadership. Murray gets rave reviews in both categories. I know Las Vegas just added Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski in free agency, but Kenneth Murray would come in and easily take a starting job. He’d probably shove Nicholas Morrow to the bench.
This is a case where value outweighs need, and Murray would provide a ton of it in the silver and black. This might be my favorite pick that I’ve projected so far. It just makes sense.
Alternative Picks: I won’t deny it, I was heavily considering a cornerback here. Everyone knows the Raiders are looking for other options at the position, and a guy like A.J. Terrell or Kristian Fulton would fit the bill. I considered Murray, so I also considered LSU linebacker Patrick Queen. This pick really depends on what the Raiders do with their first one.
They can trade back from this, or they could take a wide receiver if they don’t take one earlier. Since they went with Lamb earlier, I felt it was necessary to not double-dip here. I expect the Raiders to go one offensive position and one defensive position in the first round, if they don’t move out of the first round from the later selection.