This weekend the Raiders welcomed seven new prospects via the draft. Wide receiver got the most attention, followed by cornerback, with two players selected at each position. After a couple trades, the Raiders draft was done late in the 4th round with no picks in round 5-7.

All picks should be judged by criteria such as where they were taken, not just purely on how talented they might be. This is mostly about the team and how it navigated the draft. Let’s round ’em up.

Best picks

CB Amik Robertson – Round 4, pick No. 139

After the Raiders made their pick at No. 109, they would wait 30 picks before their next one came up. They knew they liked Robertson, but Mayock also was keen on trading back again to get more picks, telling Jon Gruden there was “no way” Robertson would be there when they picked. Turns out Mayock was wrong. Though he was glad to be in this instance.

With Robertson there, the Raiders made their selection and called it a day. It was a good way to end the day, getting a great nickel corner prospect. That’s a position they absolutely needed to get some depth and competition.

Last season they were caught flatfooted with injuries at safety. They had Lamarcus Joyner who can play both nickel and free safety, but with no viable options to step up, the team opted to keep Joyner where he was and cycled through several others to fill in at free safety. Robertson gives them that depth as well as the potential to eventually replace Joyner as the long term nickel corner. That’s tremendous value late in the 4th round.

G John Simpson – Round 4, pick No. 109

Arguably the draft’s best pure guard. The only guard prospect widely considered better is Robert Hunt who was a college tackle who will be moving inside. And yet, with just two guards taken on the first two days, there was Simpson still on the board entering day three. The Raiders smartly jumped up from pick No. 121 to No. 109 to get him.

Getting a guard was on the Raiders’ minds as they were said to be shopping Gabe Jackson in a potential trade coming into the draft. Believe it or not, Simpson is just the second guard the Raiders have drafted since Jackson in 2014. The other was Jon Feliciano who they moved to center. It was time to get a young guard prospect with Jackson’s time with the team uncertain and Richie Incognito at 36 years old.

It looks from the outset like Mayock may have nailed the fourth round again.

Middle of the road

WR Bryan Edwards – Round 3, pick No. 81

Getting two receivers in this draft was a must. They got their speed guy in the first round with Ruggs, so getting a big-bodied Z later on was a great idea. The best available receiver when they were on the clock was Edwards. While you’d like to see more of a rise in production through his college career, he still has plenty of potential. He could rotate onto the field initially and compete to eventually replace Tyrell Williams.

WR Henry Ruggs III – Round 1, pick No. 12

A lot of people really like Ruggs at this spot. He certainly is bursting with potential with his 4.27 speed and good hands. His production at Alabama leaves a lot to be desired as do his lack of deep catches. He wasn’t even considered the best receiver on his own team. That would be Jerry Jeudy who, because the Raiders didn’t pick him, went to their rival Broncos a couple picks later. The Raiders took a chance on Ruggs’s ceiling, with visions of Tyreek Hill, and passed up on more well-established receivers like Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb.

RB Lynn Bowden Jr – Round 3, pick 80

Naturally you salivate at the possibilities of Bowden as a gadget player. The Raiders said they want him as a running back initially and eventually as a ‘joker’ receiver. The possibilities are intriguing. The thing I question is whether getting a pure running back wouldn’t have been a better choice. They already have Jalen Richard as a receiver out of the backfield and Josh Jacobs could use a complementary back. Preferably a big, punishing type of back who can soften up the defense to give Jacobs a breather.

Head scratchers

CB Damon Arnette – Round 1, pick No. 19

The surprise pick of the Raiders draft. There was a whole host of talented cornerbacks on the board when the Raiders were on the clock for the second time. Most saw the Raiders taking a cornerback at this spot and three were off the board — Jeff Okudah, CJ Henderson, and AJ Terrell. This led many to think this was a prime trade down situation, but Mike Mayock said the team did not initiate and calls. They fielded some, but didn’t like the offers enough to move out.

They instead made the pick and took Arnette who was widely seen as a late 2nd or early 3rd round prospect. And with many of those cornerbacks who were on the board late in the first still there late in the second round, you’d have to figure Arnette would have last a while as well.

The main reasons for these projections were his age (24 by the start of the season) and poor 40 time (4.56) at the combine. There are a couple other numbers that make his selection more understandable. Namely having given up just three touchdowns in three years as a full-time starter and last season holding QB’s to a 60.6 passer rating. That could signal an instant starter, which the Raiders needed. And if a decent trade back offer wasn’t there, and with 61 selections before they were on the clock again, they clearly went for the guy they see as a plug-n-play starter.

LB Tanner Muse – Round 3, pick No. 100

Muse played mostly safety at Clemson. But the Raiders will be moving him to linebacker. Initially, however, he is being looked at as a special teams guy. The third round is way too early to be drafting special teams coverage players.

What the Raiders needed was a player who could potentially start at linebacker right now. And the way this draft was going, there were still a couple good ones on the board in Akeem Davis-Gaither and Troy Dye. And four LB were taken between 91 and 100 after they traded down including Malik Harrison. Or take John Simpson here and save the fifth-round pick they spent trading up at the top of the fourth round to get him. Then get Tanner or another LB at No. 121.

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