The Raiders have three first-round draft picks and needs aplenty, which screams for the Silver and Black to take the best player available when selecting in the 2019 NFL draft.
There is one position, however, that simply must be addressed.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah pinpointed it without hesitation on this week’s episode of the Raiders Insider Podcast. (Subscribe here)
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SIGN UP HERE “They have to come away with a premier pass rusher, first and foremost,” Jeremiah said. “That’s what they have to do. Unless they go on a [winning] run here at the end of the season, they will be in position to get a premier defensive lineman in a draft that, at an early look at here, looks like it’s loaded with defensive lineman. That’s the No. 1 priority you have to find.”
It’s a little early in the NFL draft process to break down each prospect, but Jeremiah discussed Nick Bosa’s quality. The edge rusher left Ohio State last month after an injury to rehab and prepare for the draft.
“Nick Bosa is a fantastic player,” Jeremiah said. “He’s as good of an edge rusher as we’ve seen in quite some time. He’s going to be the name people are going to focus on at the top, but there’s a lot of depth at the position assuming a number of juniors end up coming out. If they’re picking in the top five, they’ll have a chance to get a big-time, impact defensive lineman.”
That could help the league’s worst pass rush, which doesn’t have much talent or depth rushing off the edge. That’s the team’s biggest need among several, though it wasn’t before trading generational pass rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago on Sept. 1 for a package that includes two first-round picks.
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The Raiders also traded wide receiver Amari Cooper to Dallas for a first-rounder a few weeks back.
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Jeremiah likes one trade, but doesn’t care for the other.
“The Khalil Mack thing … you could tear down the roster while preserving what would be a key building block for the future,” he said. “That was the move I wasn’t totally on board with, but I have no problem with the Amari Cooper trade. I thought they got good compensation in that one.
“The Raiders will have an opportunity to get a lot better with these first-round picks. The key is going to be what you do with them.”
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