3 potential surprise picks for the Raiders in the first round

Raiders surprised America last year by selecting Clelin Ferrell fourth overall. Who will it be this year? Raider’s wire takes a guess on three prospects.

The draft is coming up soon and will be different than the years past because of coronavirus. The NFL has decided that the show must go on, and the NFL draft this year will be virtual, which will be a different perspective for fans.

The Las Vegas Raiders will be picking at No. 12 and No. 19 because the controversial Khalil Mack trade allows them to double up in the first. Mock drafts have the Raiders going mostly cornerback and wide receiver, but as we learned last year, it’s hard to predict what the raiders are going to do.

Last year only one player that was consistently mocked to the Raiders was selected, and that player was Josh Jacobs, and we all know Mayock was not hiding his thoughts on that pick.

With that said, I decided to look at three surprises I think the Raiders front office might hit fans with in the first round. Let’s get to it.

Brandon Aiyuk WR Arizona State

The Raiders need at the wide receiver position has been the talk of the offseason. The almost consensus top three receivers Henry Ruggs, CeeDee Lamb, and Jerry Jeudy all seem to swap in mock drafts. But what if they go in a different direction? One player getting the first-round buzz is Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State.

Aiyuk is a transfer from Juco, who was the primary target for ASU during his senior season. He was fantastic this past year, averaging 18 yards per catch and over 1,100 yards receiving on just 65 receptions. Aiyuk can take it to the house at any moment with his great yards after the catch ability. He is smooth out of his breaks against off coverage and was a genuine deep threat for the Sun Devils.

Why Aiyuk might be a surprise is that he was a leader in the ASU locker room, and that is an attribute that Mike Mayock covets in a player. He was one of the Raiders targets during the combine with a formal visit displaying there is interest in the WR.

If the Raiders pass on one of the top three at No. 12, you might here Aiyuk’s name at No. 19.

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