On the 10th anniversary of the absurd “Draft Day” movie, observers are really looking to the Las Vegas Raiders to offer a team three first-round draft picks so they can move up in the draft. And unlike big-screen general manager Kevin Costner, the Raiders would actually know who they were trading up for — Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
The problem, besides the price tag of such a trade, is the Washington Commanders very well might take Daniels at No. 2. Quarterbacks could go with the first four picks of the draft — with wild card J.J. McCarthy joining Caleb Williams, Daniels and Drake Maye — and that would leave the Raiders stuck at No. 13.
“Stuck” taking the best player available. “Stuck” filling the biggest hole on offense with a right tackle who plays with the edge that coach Antonio Pierce covets.
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We kick off The Athletic’s third seven-round Raiders mock draft this offseason with …
Round 1, pick 13: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
The whispers are getting louder that the Raiders just might take Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. here. Penix’s stock has risen since he had clean medicals at the NFL Scouting Combine. He has the best deep ball in the draft but, in our book, is still a bit of a project mechanically to be taken this high. It’s bad value.
The 6-foot-5, 324-pound Fuaga, on the other hand, is the complete package, with size, power, quick feet, balance and an explosive punch. He moves bodies in the run game and made a habit of sending linebackers flying when he hit the second level. Fuaga was also a team captain.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, in “The Beast,” dings Fuaga for having average arm length and lateral range in the passing game … “but he has the size, core strength and balance to be a plug-and-play starter in the NFL (reminiscent of Taylor Decker). Some teams view him best inside at guard, while others want to keep him at right tackle (Duke Manyweather compares him to Mike Iupati).”
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Round 2, pick 44: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Penix is gone by 44, and we resisted the urge to trade back up into the first round — just like in 2014, the last time the Raiders went QB shopping in the draft. That time, they waited to see if Derek Carr would fall after opting not to move up for Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater late in the first round.
Nix is there at 44, and some scouts like his upside more than Penix’s. He has a quick release and a strong enough arm that he can use from different angles, plus he can pick up first downs with his feet. Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco said they want a tough guy who can lead, and Pierce added that he would also like an experienced winner who has overcome adversity. The 6-2, 214-pound transfer from Auburn — who has started 61 games — checks all four boxes. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had an interesting comp in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, also a transfer and a second-round pick.
Bo Nix might not beat out Garnder Minshew or Aidan O’Connell right now, but he’d be a pick with some upside. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Nix does have some bad habits throwing under pressure, sometimes falling off or forcing a pass into traffic. “His process gets frantic and stuck in overdrive at times,” Brugler wrote. “Nix gets in trouble when he plays loose with his technique and his eyes speed up on him, but he understands where to go with the football, and his scrambling can give defenses fits.”
Drafting QBs is a crapshoot, and it’s a lot less stressful rolling the dice at No. 44 than in the top four picks. Nix would have his hands full beating out Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell for the starting job in training camp, but it’s safe to say he has more upside.
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Round 3, pick 88, Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan (via trades)
The Raiders want a cornerback and there were three on the board at No. 77 that we liked in Rutgers’ Max Melton, Sainristil and Wake Forest’s Caelen Carson. So we traded down, as the Minnesota Vikings wanted a running back and gave us No. 108, a 2025 third-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick for picks No. 77 and 148.
That would be Telesco’s first trade down in 11 years as a general manager with the Los Angeles Chargers and now the Raiders. After some high fives and a quick trip downstairs for a snack, we came back up to the draft room and traded back in for the No. 88 pick from the Green Bay Packers. We got No. 88 and No. 169 from Green Bay for No. 108 and one of our two 2025 third-rounders. Melton and Carson were both gone and we happily took Sainristil, more of a playmaker than a measurables guy.
Sainristil is undersized at 5-9, 182, but is a former receiver who had six interceptions last season and is also a good tackler. A team captain, he was voted the team MVP of the No. 1 defense in the country. “Though he has some overaggressive tendencies,” Brugler wrote, “he trusts his instincts to anticipate and properly position himself so he can make plays, both in coverage and versus the run.”
He can also play a little safety and will be a special teams standout. Think of Sainristil as a rich man’s Amik Robertson.
The best player on our board … nah, general managers always lie when they say that. But Lloyd was the best running back on our board who fit as a nice piece alongside current No. 1 RB Zamir White. Lloyd transferred from South Carolina and averaged 7.1 yards per carry at USC last season, making up for a lack of explosive speed with his cutback ability and quick bursts. Much like White in 2022, Lloyd has had a serious knee injury among others — but otherwise he wouldn’t be available in Round 4.
Twenty-one percent of Lloyd’s carries resulted in a 10-plus-yard gain.
“He frequently springs free because of the creativity he shows with the ball in his hands, although he relies too much on his east-west options and needs to be more consistent finishing runs,” Brugler wrote. “Lloyd doesn’t have the profile of a high-volume back, but he can spark an NFL offense with his mix of patience, burst and promise as a pass catcher.”
South Dakota State’s Mason McCormick has starter potential in the fifth round. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
Round 5, pick 143, Mason McCormick, G, South Dakota State (via trade)
Our target was set and we moved up 26 spots from No. 169 — thanks to a trade with the Packers where we also gave them a fifth-rounder next year — to get a potential starter at right guard.
The 6-4, 309-pound McCormick had a six-year career with the FCS champion Jackrabbits, playing in 70 games, thanks to a redshirt and an extra year granted due to the pandemic. He used that time to rid himself of some body fat and build up his strength. McCormick was also tasked with calling out the team’s pre-snap adjustments and blitz adjustments as a left guard. He is 24 and still needs some work on staying low, keeping balanced and being more consistent with his hand placement.
“Despite his body stiffness showing up out in space,” Brugler writes, “he has a tractor beam to defenders as a puller and looks like a fullback with the impolite way he looks to embarrass and bury opponents. Overall, McCormick doesn’t consistently play up to his testing numbers, but he has good eyes and feet in pass protection and outstanding physicality in the run game. He projects as a Day 1 backup (at all three interior line positions) who can become a starter with more coaching.”
Round 6, pick 208, Prince Pines, G, Tulane
Pines might not be the king of the castle, but he is the Prince of many lands. He played for Baylor and Sam Houston State and then committed to transfer to Oklahoma State before flipping to Tulane. Hey, at this point in the draft, all we care about is that he is 6-4 and 322 pounds and is hard to move — on the football field. Give him a practice squad jersey.
Round 7, pick 223, Tip Reiman, TE, Illinois
A former walk-on who became a team captain, the 6-4, 271-pound Reiman enjoys driving into his blocks on defensive players. Reiman had only 41 catches in his four-year career, but he doesn’t look like a lost cause. His blocking will pave his way, though.
Round 7, pick 229, Omar Speights, LB, LSU
Speights has met with the Raiders and might be a priority free-agent target if not drafted, as he played better at Oregon State before transferring to LSU last season. He has good eyes, moves well laterally and is a solid tackler. Speights needs to be coached up on wasted movement and pass coverage but could help on special teams right now.
(Top photo of Taliese Fuaga: Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images)
2024-04-15 15:37:51
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