The 2013 NFL Draft wasn’t kind to the Oakland Raiders. By choosing 12th place, the Raiders “hit” cornerback DJ Hayden, who was most considered a pick from day 2 before this weekend. Despite only two years of production in Houston, the Raiders were hoping to clinch gold on the next Nnamdi Amougha.
Sadly, Hayden vindicated the draft pundits as he struggled to stay healthy for most of his career. But to his credit, he became a solid starter for the Jaguars when he was in good health. But despite the late career turnaround, Hayden’s selection was not the right one for the Raiders.
Today we’re looking at a handful of players the Raiders should have picked at # 12. We’ll ignore players drafted after round one and instead focus on the players who were actually in the conversation for most teams in this range. With that in mind, here are the five players the Raiders should have picked in the 2013 NFL Draft.
By far the best player in the first round was DeAndre Hopkins. Despite being incredibly productive at Clemson, Hopkins fell to No. 27 pick to the Houston Texans. He formed three consecutive All-Pro teams, capturing 315 passes for 4,115 yards and 31 touchdowns.
If the Raiders would have selected Hopkins in the first round, they could have paired him up with Amari Cooper or taken a completely different direction in the 2015 draft. Either way, Hopkins is the undisputed best player in the 2013 draft.
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