Category: Raiders buzz

Raiders select South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw in latest USA TODAY mock draft

Raiders select South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw in latest USA TODAY mock draft

With the Raiders making the surprising move to let go of defensive line coach Brenston Buckner in favor of Rod Marinelli, the team will likely be interested in revamping their defensive line.

Marinelli typically wants defensive linemen that can get up the field quickly to rush the passer. His coaching mantra is to stop the run on the way to the quarterback.

While he will undoubtedly love Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell, it’s the defensive tackle position that could stand to be upgraded. The three-technique defensive tackle is the most important player on their defense, and that may be a spot the Raiders try to address in the draft if Marinelli isn’t sold on Maurice Hurst.

In the latest USA TODAY mock draft, the Raiders selected South Carolina defensive tackle, Javon Kinlaw. While Kinlaw doesn’t have elite production, he is one of the most explosive and athletic defensive tackles in all of the 2020 draft.

Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock weren’t satisfied with the improvements this year’s defensive line made, as the Raiders brought on Rod Marinelli to coach the group in 2020. Adding the quick-moving Kinlaw on the interior with Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell on the outside would make for a promising young core.

While the Raiders have more pressing needs on their roster, such as wide receiver and linebacker, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden continue to invest in their defensive line. And if Kinlaw is available at pick No. 19, don’t be surprised if Marinelli flexes his muscle some and stands on the table for him.

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Bleacher Report gives Raiders “A” grade for 2019 draft class

Bleacher Report gives Raiders “A” grade for 2019 draft class

By just about any measure, the Oakland Raiders had one of the league’s best draft hauls. Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden found several key contributors that helped the team make a push for the playoffs. While it’s true the team did have three first-round picks, it’s what they did after those picks that is the most impressive.

According to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, the Raiders had one of the league’s best draft classes as he gave the team a grade of “A” for all of their selections. Moton specifically mentioned defensive end, Maxx Crosby, as one of the biggest steals of the draft:

Maxx Crosby broke out as the biggest surprise in this class. He’s a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate who finished second among first-year players in sacks (10) and put together a stellar four-sack performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.

Players like Trayvon Mullen, Foster Moreau, Hunter Renfrow helped make this one of the league’s best draft classes. If this team can get any production out of players like Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram, this has to be one of the best draft classes in Raiders’ history.

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Raiders CB Isaiah Johnson underwent minor back surgery on Tuesday

Raiders CB Isaiah Johnson underwent minor back surgery on Tuesday

It was a rough, injury-plagued rookie season for fourth-round pick Isaiah Johnson. In his first preseason game, he suffered a jaw injury that would land him on the team’s injured reserve list.

Johnson eventually made his way back onto the field in 2019, but he suffered a back injury late in the season that would cause him to miss the final two games of the year.

On Tuesday, Johnson revealed that he had minor surgery on his back with the expectation that he will be ready for the team’s offseason program.

Johnson is a tall, lanky cornerback with a ton of athleticism. He’s a former receiver who is still learning the position. While the Raiders can’t count on him yet to win a starting job, look for the second-year player from Houston to see more snaps as an outside cornerback during this upcoming season.

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Could Luke Kuechly’s sudden retirement impact the Raiders 2020 draft plans?

Could Luke Kuechly’s sudden retirement impact the Raiders 2020 draft plans?

The NFL world was stunned on Tuesday evening when Panthers’ All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly announced his retirement. Kuechly was selected ninth overall in the first round of the 2012 draft and made seven Pro Bowls in his career.

While the Panthers will undoubtedly miss him, his retirement could have a significant impact on the Raiders’ draft plans. The Raiders have two big needs entering the 2020 offseason; wide receiver and linebacker. While the wide receiver position is deep, the same can’t be said for the linebacker depth in this draft.

By most accounts, Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons is the only linebacker worthy of a top-15 selection. And as we noted here on the Raiders Wire, Simmons has been a common mock draft selection for the Raiders at No. 12. But with the Panthers now losing Kuechly, Simmons could be a target for the Panthers at No. 7.

In a recent mock draft at the Draft Wire, this exact scenario played out as the Panthers selected Simmons while the Raiders were forced to wait at linebacker and go with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. It’s certainly possible that Carolina will select someone other than Simmons, it does feel like he is the favorite to go at that selection.

If the Raiders feel like Simmons doesn’t have a chance to make it to their pick at No. 12, don’t be surprised if they try to address their linebacker needs in free agency instead. While the names are certainly less inspiring, this could be a less risky strategy. Nevertheless, the Raiders certainly don’t feel like the consensus team to draft Isaiah Simmons any longer.

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby snubbed for spot on PFWA All-Rookie team

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby snubbed for spot on PFWA All-Rookie team

There may not be a better story among this year’s rookie class than that of Maxx Crosby. He was a 4th round pick out of Eastern Michigan who finished the year boasting numbers that have him in the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Or at least making an All-Rookie team.

The first of those All-Rookie teams was released Tuesday with the Pro Football Writers Association putting out theirs. Josh Jacobs was there. He was named their Offensive Rookie of the Year. Notably absent was Crosby.

Crosby has the misfortune of playing the same position as Nick Bosa, who had a rookie record 80 pressures this season. Even with fewer sacks (9.0) than Crosby (10.0) those pressure numbers are hard to deny. Bosa was named the PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year.

There are two DE spots on the PFWA team though, so Crosby would seem to have had a decent shot at the other one. He was passed over in favor of Josh Allen.

On one hand, it’s impressive for a 4th round pick to be going toe-to-toe with the 2nd overall pick (Bosa) and the 7th overall pick (Allen). On the other hand, Crosby is a better overall player than Allen.

Allen had only slightly better pressure numbers. He had 10.5 sacks to Crosby’s 10.0, 22 QB hits to Crosby’s 14, and 49 pressures to Crosby’s 45. But Crosby blows him out of the water in every other statistical category.

Crosby has more tackles (46) than Allen (44), five more tackles for loss (16), eight more run stops (23), two more forced fumbles (4), and four pass breakups while Allen had none. By the fifth game of the season, Crosby had proven he was an every-down defensive end. Allen was never given those responsibilities.

So, if you’re thinking Crosby deserved the nod over Allen, you have a legit gripe. Playing the position shouldn’t be just about how many times you can get to the quarterback.

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Raiders fire DL coach Brenston Bucker, hire former Cowboys DC Rod Marinelli

Raiders fire DL coach Breston Bucker, hire former Cowboys DC Rod Marinelli

The Raiders haven’t made a coaching move this offseason; until now. According to Jim Trotter of ESPN, Jon Gruden has made the decision to fire defensive line coach Brenston Buckner in favor of Rod Marinelli.

Marinelli has been with the Dallas Cowboys since 2014 as he was the team’s defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. He is considered one of the league’s best defensive line coaches and will inherit a team full of young defensive line talent. Marinelli previous worked with Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay as he was the team’s defensive line coach from 1996-2005.

Buckner was hired by Gruden in 2019 to coach the defensive line. While he is one of the league’s most respected defensive line coaches in all of football, he just doesn’t have the same pedigree or experience as Marinelli. It’s a tough move by Gruden to let go of Buckner, but expect Marinelli to have a big impact on players like Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby in Year 1.

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Raiders RB Josh Jacobs named PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs named PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year

Ahead of the NFL Honors, Raiders rookie running back Josh Jacobs has been named the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association.

Jacobs was the first running back taken in April’s draft at 24th overall by the Raiders.

Never a full-time starter at Alabama, Jacobs was handed the rock by the Raiders right away as their feature back.

Despite fighting through a broken shoulder he suffered in week seven, Jacobs still managed to start 13 games and carry the ball 242 times for 1150 yards and 7 touchdowns. His rushing total was 7th in the league among running backs. of those yards, 686 came after contact, while forcing an astounding 70 missed tackles according to Pro Football Focus.

He became the first Raiders rookie to surpass 1000 rushing yards and the only rookie in the NFL this season to do so.  He also led all rookie rushers with 101.2 yards from scrimmage per game.

In so doing, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Month twice this season, both in October and November. The first to win the award multiple times in a season since Odell Beckham Jr in 2014.

Next up; AP OROY.

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Should CB Byron Jones be the Raiders top target in free agency?

Should CB Byron Jones be the Raiders top-target in free agency?

In Mike Mayock’s first year as the Raiders’ general manager, the Oakland Raiders were highly aggressive in free agency. The team signed numerous big-name veterans, such as Trent Brown, Tyrell Williams, and Lamarcus Joyner.

With a ton of cap space available once again, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Raiders make some significant signings during the new league year. One player the team could target is Cowboys’ cornerback Byron Jones, who is set to become a free agent in March.

Dallas selected Jones with the No. 27 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he’s become one of the league’s best cornerbacks. While he doesn’t create a ton of turnovers, he is someone that quarterbacks avoid due to his coverage ability. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones is the arguably the best defensive player set to hit the open market:

A move to cornerback rejuvenated Jones’ career in 2018, as he showed that he could play single coverage on the outside at a high level. He finished with the 14th-best coverage grade among corners in 2018 (80.4) before dropping to 21st in 2019 (74.8), but those are extremely valuable numbers as he hits the open market. Many will point to Jones not picking off a pass over the last two years, but his 74.1 coverage grade in single coverage is 11th-best during that time, and he has also shown the ability to match up against tight ends when called upon.

If the Raiders were able to sign a player like Jones, he would instantly make their defense better as he would improve the play of everyone around him. Trayvon Mullen would be moved to the No. 2 cornerback role where he could face lesser receivers. The pass rush would have more time to get to the quarterback as Jones can help take away a team’s top target.

Best of all, Jones is still a relatively young player (27) with outstanding football character. He’s also highly durable, missing just one game in his NFL career. If the Raiders do want to spend in free agency, Jones should be their top target. He is exactly what their defense needs to take the next step.

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Raiders grab two Oklahoma Sooners in latest Dane Brugler mock draft

Raiders grab two Oklahoma Sooners in latest Dane Brugler mock draft

The 2019-2020 College Football Season is over, and that means it’s officially time to start preparing for the NFL Draft. With the Senior Bowl coming up in less than a week, the Raiders will begin to evaluate and narrow down their potential picks in the first round.

The Raiders have two significant needs on their roster. They desperately need a No. 1 wide receiver and a rangy linebacker in the middle of their defense. Luckily for the Raiders, there is some depth at those two positions.

In Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft at The Athletic, he gave the Raiders two Oklahoma Sooners at their biggest positions of need. Take a look at what Brugler had to say about wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Kenneth Murray:

The Pick: Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb – In a wide receiver-rich class, the playmaker-needy Raiders could be sitting at No. 12 with their choice of all of them. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock could just as easily fall in love with Jerry Jeudy or a different wideout, but Lamb’s ball skills and football instincts will be attractive.

The Pick: Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray – The Raiders make it an all-Sooners first round in this scenario, landing a playmaker on offense in Lamb and defense in Murray. Although he must improve his strike zone and add a dash more discipline to his playing style, Murray shows the field speed and competitive make-up that could see him drafted this high.

Lamb is arguably the best receiver in this class as he has all of the traits to be a No. 1 receiver in the league. While he’s not a burner, he is difficult to bring down after the catch, and he has an insane catch radius.

Murray might not be a polished linebacker, but he has all the athleticism in the world to lean on. He would make a perfect weakside linebacker in today’s NFL with his ability to run from sideline to sideline.

We know how much Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden value players from big-time schools, and we saw them double up on players from specific programs last year. Don’t be surprised if they do something similar this year with their two first-round picks.

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Raiders 2020 NFL draft pick order set through three rounds

Raiders 2020 NFL draft pick order set through three rounds

As of Sunday, the Raiders knew which picks they had at the first round, but nothing was in place after that. What they were waiting on was the Seahawks to exit the playoffs.

You see, the Raiders made a trade this season, sending Gareon Conley to the Texans. The pick the Raiders received was the one the Texans received from the Seahawks when they sent Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle.

They currently have seven picks in the draft, five of which are in the first three rounds:

Round 1, Pick 12

Round 1, Pick 19 (From Chicago)

Round 3, Pick 80

Round 3, Pick 81 (From Chicago)

Round 3, Pick 91 (From Houston via Seattle)

Round 4, Pick TBA*

Round 7, Pick TBA*

*The specific pick will be revealed once we know compensatory picks

The Raiders have an extra first-round pick, an extra third-round pick and no round two or round five picks as part of the trade that sent Khalil Mack to Chicago. They sent Chicago Mack, a 2020 2nd round pick, 2020 5th round pick, and got back a 2019 first-round pick, 2020 first round, and 2020 third-round pick. Their sixth-round pick was sent to Green Bay in exchange for WR/KR Trevor Davis.

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