Over the last two months, we’ve seen a pretty strong trend in mock drafts in regards to the Las Vegas Raiders. Yesterday, Raiders Wire’s Levi Damien looked at 40 mock drafts, all of which projected the Raiders to select a defensive player in the first round.
But if we have learned anything from Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden is that they can be widely unpredictable when it comes to the draft. That’s why it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if they did go offense in the first round.
It would take a special type of offensive player for the Raiders to pick one at No. 17. But that’s exactly what happened in Josh Edwards’ most recent mock draft at CBS Sports. He had 2020 Heisman Trophy Winner DeVonta Smith falling to the Raiders in the first round. Here is what Edwards had to say about the potential pick:
“After parting ways with Tyrell Williams, Las Vegas turns to Henry Ruggs’ former teammate to provide a spark on offense.”
While the Raiders wouldn’t “need” Smith, he does check a lot of the boxes the Raiders want in a first-round pick. Not only does he come from the most successful football school in the country, but he’s got historic production and he’s a fit in Jon Gruden’s offense.
Smith doesn’t profile as a typical “X” receiver in the NFL, but he gets open and can make plays down the field. Pairing Smith with Henry Ruggs once again would make for an explosive offense, but how likely is it that the All-American will fall in the draft?
Well, he doesn’t have elite size or speed and that could cause teams to get nervous. We’ve also seen elite wide receiver prospects fall in the draft recently, such as CeeDee Lamb to No. 17 last year to the Dallas Cowboys. It’s certainly not unprecedented, but Smith falling to that stage in the draft feels like a slight stretch.
However, if Smith does get to the Raiders’ pick in the first round, don’t be surprised if that’s who the front office selects. He’s just too good of a talent to pass up on at that stage of the draft. Ruggs and Smith, along with Darren Waller would suddenly make for one of the best offenses in the NFL. That’s got to be intriguing for Mayock and Gruden.
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