Oakland Raiders Mock Draft 2017

With Super Bowl LI in the books, the 2017 NFL draft order is set, marking the official start of mock draft season.

Oakland Raiders 2017 Mock Draft Tracker Jan 30, 2017 at 03:55 AM. Raiders.com Staff. It's the middle of the offseason which means that that mock draft season is in full swing. 2017 Oakland Raiders Mock Draft: Speed and Depth. BY foxsports. June 30, 2017. SS Obi Melifonwu is probably the best upside pick in the entire 2017 NFL Draft. At 6’3″, 220 pounds, he.

Yes, the Oakland Raiders’ needs will remain fluid until free agency, but glaring holes in the roster will still need to be filled via the 2017 NFL draft regardless of which veterans are added and lost in March.

Starting with the No. 24 overall pick, here’s a realistic look at a full seven-round mock draft representative of the Raiders’ current needs.

Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers stands as one of the best defensive prospects in this year’s class, but he will fall to the bottom of the first round because no team can pin him to a specific position on defense, yet.

With the Wolverines, Peppers earned snaps at linebacker, cornerback, safety and even running back. He amassed 119 combined tackles (86 solo), 18.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed and one interception in 27 career games on Michigan’s talent-rich defense. Offensively, he carried the ball 45 times for 239 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and five touchdowns.

In 2016, Peppers registered a career-high 66 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss en route to placing fifth in the 2016 Heisman race with 208 votes.

Peppers proved elite in coverage when pitted against tight ends and running backs at linebacker or safety, which should serve as music to the Raiders’ ears given their recent woes covering either position. He is also more than capable of having similar success in coverage against smaller, quick receivers in the slot.

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Additionally, No. 5 has upside as a strong run defender, showing no fear when attacking bigger backs near the line of scrimmage.

Working within the Raiders’ defense, Peppers would have opportunities to develop at slot cornerback and linebacker, both of which being positions of need for the Silver and Black.

It doesn’t take an expert to see that the Raiders’ interior defensive line was bullied all throughout the 2016 season.

Veteran defensive linemen Dan Williams and Justin Ellis, formerly known as “Meat and Potatoes,” left Raider Nation starving for more production, as both players combined for just one tackle for loss and a half-sack.

The Raiders must beef up their interior defensive line via the draft, leaving little reason for them to pass on former Iowa defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson in the second round.

At 6-foot-4 inches, 310 pounds, Johnson is a big, disruptive defensive tackle prospect capable of having a significant impact when defending the run and rushing the passer.

In his two years with the Hawkeyes, Johnson raked in 15.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

Johnson will need to lower his pad level and add more weight to his lengthy frame to better defend the run against double teams, but he can contribute as a pass-rusher early in his career, especially on a Raiders’ defense that has lacked such production.

Raiders slot receiver Seth Roberts struggled to prove consistent in his second full season with the Silver and Black, which should push Oakland to add competition at the position in the 2017 NFL draft.

Roberts brought in just 38 of 77 targets for 397 yards and five touchdowns in 2016. He also led a Raiders’ receiving corps known for its drops with a 6.5 drop percentage, according to Sporting Charts.

Because of his drops and poor route-running ability, Roberts earned a 48.3 season grade in 2016, per Pro Football Focus.

Former North Carolina receiver Ryan Switzer, on the other hand, is a sure-handed slot receiver capable of creating separation on both short and intermediate routes with relative ease.

As a volume pass-catcher with the Tarheels, Switzer brought in a team-high 96 receptions for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns.

At 5-foot-10 inches, 185 pounds, Switzer will find it difficult against bigger corners in press coverage if they are able to get a hand on him. However, he is often too quick off the line for corners to press him at the line of scrimmage.

Switzer would give Raiders quarterback Derek Carr a reliable third option inside of Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, a privilege he hasn’t had with Roberts.

Former USC left tackle Chad Wheeler has all the tools necessary to dominate at either left or right tackle at the next level. However, he should fall to Day 3 because of his injury history and off-the-field concerns.

In 2015, police officers fired bean bag rounds at Wheeler after confronting him because he was punching walls and windows in an apartment seemingly under the influence of drugs or alcohol at 8:45 a.m. PT, per Andrew Blankstein of NBC. He was not arrested, but he was taken to a local hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Wheeler has also suffered two concussions with the Trojans and missed the final five games of the 2014 season with a torn ACL, per CBS Sports’ Rob Rang.

However, if given an opportunity to see the field, Wheeler is a game-wrecker.

Standing at 6-foot-6 inches, 310 pounds, Wheeler can excel at both left and right tackle, especially when asked to drive defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage in the run game.

With the Raiders in need of a force at right tackle, Wheeler could earn a starting role along Oakland’s offense line early in his career if he can avoid both injuries and the police.

If Latavius Murray does leave Oakland via free agency, the Raiders will look to replace Tay Train with another big, powerful back to join rookies Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington in the backfield.

Former Pittsburgh running back James Connor fits the bill.

At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Connor is a bully in the backfield with a knack for bowling over defenders in the hole. He earned first-team All-ACC honors after carrying the ball 216 times for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2016.

Connor’s heroics aren’t limited to the football field.

Connor was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the 2015 season. He was coming off a career year in 2014, in which he carried the ball 298 times for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns.

As a result, Connor participated in the team’s winter workouts while undergoing chemotherapy to rally back to the football field just 364 days after suffering the knee injury and four months after being diagnosed with cancer, per the Panthers’ official team site.

If Oakland were to add Connor to their backfield, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where he doesn’t exceed expectations.

Former Colorado defensive lineman Josh Tupou could solve the Raiders’ problems at nose tackle.

At 6-foot-3 inches, 325 pounds, Tupou can take on double teams without losing ground because of his sheer size. He is an immovable force with upside as an interior pass rusher.

Tupou amassed 124 combined tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in four years with Colorado.

Regardless of whether the Raiders lose either Malcolm Smith or Perry Riley Jr. to free agency, Oakland needs to add depth at inside linebacker.

Former San Diego State linebacker Calvin Munson is a rangy, athletic prospect with strong tackle production in his last two years with the Aztecs, registering 214 combined tackles in that span.

Munson will need to refine his technique at the next level, but a combination of his effort and athleticism should lead to a significant role on special teams early in his career.

At 6-foot-1 inches, 185 pounds, former UNC cornerback Des Lawrence already has the length to develop into an outside corner in the NFL. However, a significant drop in production in his senior season has caused a drop in his draft stock.

After garnering 59 combined tackles and two interceptions as a junior, Lawrence fell out of the limelight with just 37 combined tackles and zero interceptions in 2016.

Lawrence would have an opportunity to prove he’s more than a one-year-wonder within the Raiders’ talent-deficient secondary if positioned either outside or in the slot.

Oakland Raiders Mock Draft 2017 Simulator

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The Oakland Raiders have an excellent foundation with quarterback Derek Carr and reigning defensive player of the year Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack serving as instrumental leaders both on and off of the field.

While both Mack and Carr appear to be all-time talents, it takes far more than two great players to win championships.

NFL Films does a masterful job of incorporating the symphony in their footage. The choice is beyond apropos, as the orchestra needs just as precise of execution in their ensemble as the football team needs from its players.

Analogies aside, that is a fancy way of saying it takes 11 men on each side of the ball to win games. Mack and Carr may end up being the greatest players ever at their respective positions, but if their defense gives up 61 explosive plays again as it did in 2016, they’ll never win a Super Bowl.

As such, Raiders Wire’s mock draft 3.0 is purposefully heavy on a couple of key defensive positions.

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The Zach Brown sweepstakes came and went with the Raiders demonstrating they were not interested in spending a lot of money in free agency to secure an interior linebacker. Make no mistake, McKenzie operated in that fashion because he has already pegged at least one inside linebacker in the draft that he feels can do just as good of a job.

Former Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham fits the bill perfectly. Cunningham is a very athletic 6-foot, 3-inch, 234-pound inside linebacker that plays with an edge and regularly delivers crushing hits to his opposition.

Oakland Raiders Mock Draft 2017

Pro Football Focus has likened Cunningham to Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower, but Cunningham could prove even better against the pass.

Oakland Raiders Mock Draft 2017 Results

Cunningham broke up seven of the 86 passes he was targeted with during his three seasons at Vanderbilt, with just four of the 57 career receptions he allowed going for more than 20 yards.

Tackling too high at times causes Cunningham to miss more tackles than he should, but that’s easy to fix with adequate coaching, and there’s little doubt that the tools Cunningham possesses should make him a Day 1 fit at the heart of the Silver and Black’s defense.