The 2019 NFL Draft will always be remembered as the draft in which the Raiders had three first-round picks and failed to pick up the fifth-year option on all three selections.
Holding the No. 4 pick, the Raiders “reached” for Clelin Ferrell. Ferrell was a borderline first-round pick, yet Jon Gruden decided to take him inside the top five. But who should have the Raiders selected with that pick in hindsight?
In a recent article by Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, he re-drafted the entire first round of the 2019 draft. For the Raiders at pick No. 4, he gave them Maxx Crosby instead of Ferrell. Here was his explanation behind the new selection:
“The Raiders were on the right track with the selection of an edge rusher at No. 4, but of the many incredible players at the position this class produced, it was the one they chose in the fourth round who should have come off the board here.
Crosby’s 193 career pressures are the most of any player in this class, and his 100 pressures in 2021 were the most of any player in the NFL.”
One of the reasons it’s hard to be too upset with the 2019 draft class for the Raiders is due to their selections on Day 3. Crosby and Hunter Renfrow have both made the Pro Bowl and have received huge extensions from the team. Even Foster Moreau has played a ton of snaps for the Raiders over the last few years.
Crosby was the biggest steal of the 2019 draft and certainly makes up for the miss on Ferrell. You can even make a case that he should go higher, just behind Kyler Murray and Nick Bosa.
The first round of the 2019 draft certainly wasn’t a great one for the Raiders. But they ended up getting two franchise-changing players later in the draft. For that reason alone, it’s a win.