If we have learned anything from the new regime, it’s that they are going to be aggressive. We’ve seen Dave Ziegler and company pull off a ton of trades in the last year, including Davante Adams, Darren Waller, and moving down in Round 3 last year.
So could we be in store for another draft day trade for the Raiders on Thursday? Given the track record of the front office, there is a pretty good chance that we see one.
In a recent article by Cynthia Freeland of NFL.com, she proposed a trade that would send the No. 7 pick to the Washington Commanders for No. 16, No. No. 47 and No. 118. That would give the Raiders 14 overall selections including five inside the top-100 picks.
So, I don’t know the Raiders’ board, but the added equity would allow them to fairly easily trade back up into the end of the first round, should a quarterback they want to develop — or a player at another key position who surprisingly falls — be available. In essence, Vegas has the luxury of moving all over the board to target their priority players.
The Raiders have a lot of holes still on their roster, especially on defense. But adding more top 100 picks and staying inside the top half of Round 1 would be very intriguing. At No. 16, the Raiders might hope to see someone like Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State) or Lukas Van Ness (Iowa) available to them.
If the Raiders have the opportunity to make a trade like this, they almost have to make that move. It’s too good of a deal to pass up for a team that needs more talent on their roster.