With quarterbacks going early, Las Vegas goes BPA and reinforces trenches
It’s finally here. The NFL Draft week has descended up on us with the three-day event kicking off on Thursday with Round 1.
With a new general manager and (not so new, but permanent) head coach in tow, the Las Vegas Raiders have ample opportunity to build a roster in Tom Telesco’s and Antonio Pierce’s vision. The Silver & Black GM and head coach, respectively, embark on their combined journey with the No. 13 overall pick.
Unless the Raiders maneuver up or down, that’s where the team is slated to pick in the opening round Thursday. Telesco said the team has plans in place to trade up, pick, or trade down so without further ado, let’s get to this mock draft:
First Round
No. 13: Taliese Fuaga, Offensive Tackle, Oregon State
With quarterbacks going 1-2-3 and the Raiders unable to move up and staying pat at No. 13, I was left staring at two prime prospects that fit the best player available (BPA) mold: This Oregon State trench warrior or a throwback to Raiders cornerbacks Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell. In the end, the pick was Fuaga.
Football games are decided in the trenches and adding the powerful and experienced Fuaga gives Las Vegas a plug-and-play type prospect who can immediately jump into the fray at right tackle and potentially win the job outright. He started 25 games at right tackle at Oregon State and has minor flaws. Fuaga has the strength, footwork, and zone blocking scheme experience to be a fit with the Silver & Black.
Second Round
No. 44: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Center/Guard, Oregon
Another player from the Pacific Northwest that’s also BPA. The Raiders are in dire need of another starter at guard along the offensive line and snaring Powers-Johnson here gives offensive line coach James Cregg a mauler with an absolute mean streak. Like Fuaga, Powers-Johnson is violence personified which is a tailor fit for the type of football team Pierce is assembling.
Profiled as a center, Powers-Johnson has the physical attributes and skillset to slide over and be an effective guard. He’s equally as agile and light on his feet as he is powerful and a brute which makes him a similar lineman to the Raiders’ No. 13 overall pick above. You can never have too many linemen who are both mean and effective.
Third Round
No. 77: Trey Benson, Running Back, Florida State
Telesco has hinted heavily Las Vegas is going the committee route at running back. And there’s one element the tailback room in the desert is missing: Pure unadulterated speed. With his scintillating 4.39 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, Benson also brings the strength to absorb contact — rarely goes down on initial hit — and ability to make defenders miss for big gains.
Running upright (Benson has dubbed himself as Forrest Gump with his running style) with a plant-and-go style with burst, Benson is a terror off tackle and waits for blocks to develop — a key trait for a runner in a zone blocking scheme/wide zone. Benson also offers receiving chops which can make him a homerun threat in the screen game.
Fourth Round
No. 112: Trevin Wallace, Linebacker, Kentucky
An athletic defender who profiles as a read-and-react chase linebacker, Wallace grew up in the Wildcats’ 4-2-5 base scheme and is a fit for the same nickel formation the Raiders deploy routinely. Wallace has the speed and fluidity to go sideline-to-sideline and mirror both running backs out of the flat and tight ends up the seam. The biggest issue there is, pass catchers Wallace is covering tend to come down with the pass more often than not.
Yet, Wallace is an aggressive defender who has no qualms mixing it up with linemen who outweigh him as he’s a seek-and-destroy tackler. His speed and explosiveness against the run also translates as a blitzer and Wallace as the athleticism to be an every-down type defender.
Fifth Round
No. 148: Jordan Travis, Quarterback, Florida State
The Raiders lack functional mobility in the quarterback room and this Seminole’s quarterback helps bring scrambling ability to Las Vegas. Travis is a dual-threat signal caller that has shown the ability to make plays with both his arm and legs. And if it weren’t for a broken ankle that ended his season, Travis may have gone higher than here.
But it’s likely his smaller build, lack of drive on his throws, and middling anticipation and patience that’s going to see Travis drafted at this stage, anyhow. Still, he is a fiery competitor and can be equally as fearless as he is elusive. And that’s the kind of moxie and athleticism lacking in the Raiders quarterback room right now.
Sixth Round
No. 208: Khristian Boyd, Defensive Tackle, Northern Iowa
Las Vegas needs more space-eating, block occupying, and powerful nose tackle-types as veteran John Jenkins is getting up there in age. And Boyd brings that at 6-foot-2 and 329 pounds. Showing surge at the snap, Boyd has the power in both upper and lower body to root himself and take on double teams with relative ease.
While he may get bested by linemen with longer arms, he’s a classic block occupying nose who has the power to push the pocket while freeing up other defenders to make plays. The Raiders need more of that.
Seventh Round
No. 223: Dequan Hardy, Cornerback, Penn State
A confident slot/nickel defender who is an equally determined punt return specialist, the Raiders can check off two areas of need with one prospect in Hardy. The depth behind talented slot cornerback Nate Hobbs is a question mark while Las Vegas lacks a field-flipping return specialist.
Despite being only 5-foot-9, Hardy possesses great leaping ability as well as tracking the ball in flight, turning, and making a play on the pass. His 4.38 speed would also make him a quality gunner and special teamer as he grows into a defender.
No. 229: Anthony Gould, Wide Receiver, Oregon State
Another diminutive prospect at 5-foot-8, Gould brings with him track meet speed to a team having a dire need for more jets at wideout. With unquestioned straight-line speed to burn coverage and the concentration and body control to track the ball in flight, Gould may be a more productive NFL player than he was at Oregon State.
He’s also a productive punt returner who can mix it up with Hardy and give the Raiders a hungry specialist looking to burn the opposition.