The common belief around NFL circles is that the Raiders will use the No. 17 pick on a defensive player. That’s not hard to understand as Las Vegas had the league’s worst-ranked defense last season. But as we’ve learned from Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden in the draft, they can be unpredictable.
With the Raiders having an aging offensive line, especially at offensive guard, it’s not hard to envision Mayock and Gruden wanting to improve the trenches this offseason.
In a recent mock draft by former NFL general manager Charley Casserly, he had the Raiders selecting the best offensive guard in the class; USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. Here is what Casserly had to say about the potential pairing of Vera-Tucker and the Raiders:
“He’s the best guard in the draft, but the more you watch the film, the more you ask, “Why can’t he play left tackle?”
Vera-Tucker has experience at guard (2019) but he actually played his best football at left tackle in 2020. He just might not have enough length to survive at left tackle in the NFL, but he has all of the traits to be a dominant guard right away.
If the Raiders wanted to draft Vera-Tucker in Round 1 and slide him in at left guard during his rookie season, that would be an easy transition for the former left tackle. Eventually, the plan could be to move him to right tackle if the team eventually wants to move on from Trent Brown.
Vera-Tucker might not be the “sexiest” pick for the Raiders in Round 1, but he could be extremely useful for a team that relies so heavily on their offensive line to dominate. Keep an eye on Vera-Tucker throughout the draft process as he could be a darkhorse candidate for the Raiders at No. 17.
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