Paul Butler Has Good Chance To Crack Roster
- Vic Tafur of The Athletic examines former Spring League standout Paul Butler‘s chocolate milk-fueled journey to the thick of the Raiders‘ TE depth chart, and though Butler still faces something of an uphill battle to make the club, he has a real shot. He performed well in OTAs and minicamp, and Oakland clearly thinks highly of him, as they promoted him from the practice squad late last year to prevent the Lions from poaching him. There are six TEs battling for four roster spots, but Butler’s blend of size and receiving ability give him a chance to make the 53-man roster.
Raiders Have Holes On D-Line
- While the Raiders have done a whole lot to revamp their roster this offseason, the team still has some major holes. As Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, the team’s defensive line is accompanied by a long list of question marks. Part of the unit’s success will naturally depend on first-rounder Clelin Ferrell, who is expected to play a three-down role for the Raiders. Bair also points to former Giants and Cardinals defensive end Josh Mauro as someone who could play a relatively important role on the front-seven.
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Poll: Grading The Raiders’ Offseason
To say that this was an offseason of overhaul for the Raiders would be a drastic understatement. With the aid of new GM Mike Mayock, head coach Jon Gruden completely rebooted his team after a disappointing 4-12 finish last year. 
The renovations got underway in 2018 when the Raiders shipped out stars Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper for a combined haul of draft capital. The moves also gave the team financial flexibility this offseason, which was used to add wide receiver Antonio Brown, wide receiver Tyrell Williams, right tackle Trent Brown, and slot cornerback LaMarcus Joyner. Those four players alone account for more than $109MM in guaranteed money, signaling a clear desire to compete in 2019.
It’s hard to knock any of those additions – at least, when considering their expected value for the coming season. However, the Raiders’ draft was among the most polarizing in the NFL. After Gruden and Mayock sent their scouting department packing, they stunned every prognosticator by selecting Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 overall pick. Then, at No. 24 overall, some felt that the Raiders reached again with their pick of Alabama running back Joshua Jacobs.
Other picks, such as Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram at No. 27 overall, were better received. Abram projects to be a Day 1 starter alongside Karl Joseph and, ultimately, figures to inherit his spotlight after the club turned down Joseph’s fifth-year option for the 2020 season.
Despite some clear upgrades, question marks remain for the Raiders. The club tried to upgrade its backfield with the quietly effective Isaiah Crowell, but he was quickly lost to a torn Achilles and replaced by the return of Doug Martin. There were also rumblings that they would add a new quarterback to play ahead of Derek Carr, but they elected to stick with the signal caller in hopes that he could return to his old form. It’s also fair to wonder about the status of the Raiders’ locker room – the mercurial Brown always has the potential to rock the boat and he’s now joined by longtime rival Vontaze Burfict and controversial lineman Richie Incognito.
On the whole, how would you grade the Raiders’ offseason? Click below to cast your vote (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.
Raiders Sign First-Round S Johnathan Abram
Challenging the Jets’ front office construction for Tuesday’s news leader, the Raiders have signed a third draft choice today. The team announced Johnathan Abram agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal (with the customary fifth-year option).
The third of the Raiders’ three first-round picks, Abram will be expected to integrate quickly into Oakland’s secondary mix. With Lamarcus Joyner thus far working exclusively at slot cornerback, Abram spent OTAs and minicamp operating as a starting safety alongside 2016 first-rounder Karl Joseph.
Abram follows No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell and No. 40 choice Trayvon Mullen in signing today. Abram transferred from Georgia to Mississippi State, playing only his freshman year with the Bulldogs. He registered five sacks and intercepted two passes at his second SEC school. The No. 27 overall selection, Abram was the second safety to come off the board this year — behind the Packers’ Darnell Savage.
Only Josh Jacobs remains unsigned. At this rate, we perhaps should expect news of that agreement to surface tonight.
Raiders Sign Round 2 CB Trayvon Mullen
The Raiders now have their Clemson contingent under contract. Hours after revealing they signed first-round pick Clelin Ferrell, the team announced second-round cornerback Trayvon Mullen agreed to terms.
Ferrell, Mullen and Hunter Renfrow comprised the Raiders’ Clemson group; the slot receiver had previously signed his rookie deal. Two Raiders picks remain unsigned, first-rounders Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram.
Mullen, the No. 40 overall pick, figures to factor in prominently among Oakland’s corners this season. Before leaving after his junior season, the 6-foot-1 defender started 26 games for the Tigers. He joins the likes of Gareon Conley, Daryl Worley, Nevin Lawson, fourth-round pick Isaiah Johnson and new slot corner Lamarcus Joyner as the primary coverage cogs for the Silver and Black.
A cousin of Lamar Jackson, Mullen was the fifth cornerback taken this year. He came off the board during a run of corners in the early part of the second round, which saw six corners go off the board between picks 33 and 46.
Here is a look at the Raiders’ 2019 draft class:
- 1-4: Clelin Ferrell, DE (Clemson): Signed
- 1-24: Josh Jacobs, RB (Alabama)
- 1-27: Johnathan Abram, S (Mississippi State)
- 2-40: Trayvon Mullen, CB (Clemson): Signed
- 4-106: Maxx Crosby, DE (Eastern Michigan): Signed
- 4-129: Isaiah Johnson, CB (Houston): Signed
- 4-137: Foster Moreau, TE (LSU): Signed
- 5-149: Hunter Renfrow, WR (Clemson): Signed
- 7-230: Quinton Bell, DE (Prairie View A&M): Signed
Raiders Sign Clelin Ferrell
The Raiders have signed No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell, according to a team announcement. Per the terms of his slot, the Clemson product will receive a four-year deal worth $31.4MM with a $20.8MM signing bonus. And, as a first-round pick, the Raiders will hold a fifth-year team option to continue his contract through the 2023 season. 
Ferrell’s selection was the first major shock of the draft. With the No. 4 overall pick, many expected the Raiders to tap Kentucky pass rusher Josh Allen, but as it turns out, the Raiders were never all that enamored with him. The Raiders badly wanted Ferrell, and despite his late first-round rank on most draft boards, the Raiders were not willing to wait and risk losing out on him.
Ferrell, lauded for his toughness and work ethic, finished out his Clemson stay with new career highs in tackles for a loss (20) and sacks (11.5). Questions remain about his agility and open-field tackling ability, but the Raiders still envision big things for the 6’4″, 264-pound athlete.
With Ferrell and five other draft picks signed, the Raiders still need to address fellow first-rounders Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram, as well as second-round cornerback Trayvon Mullen.
Josh McCown Retires From NFL
After 17 years in the NFL, Josh McCown is calling it a career. On Monday, the longtime QB bid farewell to the game in a post on The Player’s Tribune. 
“At the end of the day, no matter what team I was on, I tried to serve it to the best of my ability, and I tried to influence my team in a positive manner. I hope I did that,” McCown wrote. “And I made sure that when my number was called, I was prepared, and I gave it everything I had, every time. I may not have turned out to be the franchise quarterback I set out to be back at Cardinals rookie camp, but I’m extremely proud of the career I had.”
McCown didn’t become the face of the Cardinals as he had hoped, but he did enjoy nearly two decades in the NFL while spending time with ten different teams. His journey also included a pit stop in the UFL in 2010, a deal that almost didn’t come to pass when the Bears offered him a contract. Remarkably, McCown declined the opportunity in Chicago and stuck it out with the Hartford Colonials. He later said that the notion of bailing on the commitment “didn’t sit well” with him and he didn’t want to set a bad example for his children in which he would give his “word to somebody until something better comes along and then break that.”
McCown had some memorable moments on the field throughout his career, but he will largely be remembered for his high-character, intense work ethic, and willingness to help groom younger quarterbacks. After starting 13 games for the Jets in 2017, McCown put his ego aside and agreed to return to New York as a mentor for rookie Sam Darnold. Now, McCown will continue to put his football wisdom and knowledge to good use, either as a broadcaster or coach.
Lamarcus Joyner Only Seeing SCB Time
Given Jon Gruden‘s moves involving several other Reggie McKenzie-era high draft picks, and the Raiders‘ decisions this spring, it would appear Karl Joseph is not in the team’s long-term plans. The Raiders, who benched Joseph to start last season, did not pick up his fifth-year option and proceeded to sign Lamarcus Joyner before drafting Johnathan Abram in the first round. Nevertheless, Joseph is not planning (at least publicly) for a 2020 free agency foray.
Among McKenzie’s first-round picks, only Joseph and 2017 first-rounder Gareon Conley remain Raiders. Despite starting in just eight games last season, the 2016 first-round pick graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 23 overall safety (in just 509 snaps) and worked alongside Abram in Oakland’s starting lineup at minicamp. Erik Harris is working as a backup, per Bair.
- As for Joyner, the Raiders are following through on their spring talk of playing him as a slot corner. The player the Rams used as a safety starter the past two years worked exclusively as a slot defender during the minicamp and OTA sessions available to the media, Bair notes. The Raiders gave Joyner a four-year, $42MM contract. If they intend to confine him to slot duty, this would make him the league’s highest-paid pure slot corner — a distinction Kenny Moore was believed to hold when he signed a Colts extension this week. Joyner worked as a corner for the Rams from 2014-16 and would join Trent Brown as recent Raiders signees asked to change positions.
Latest On Raiders ST Competitions
The Raiders have Daniel Carlson locked in as their starting kicker, but the coaching staff has some tough decisions to make elsewhere on special teams. As Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes, the organization currently has competitions at both punter and long snapper.
The punter competition is between Johnny Townsend and rookie A.J. Cole. The 24-year-old Townsend is the incumbent after appearing in all 16 games for the Raiders in 2018. However, the Florida product struggled at times during his rookie campaign, and he ranked 30th in the NFL with a 38.3-yard net average. The Raiders ended up adding Cole as an undrafted free agent, but Gehlken notes that Townsend is still the favorite for the position.
“He’s really done a great job working on his hang time,” said special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. “That’s improved tremendously (over) the course of the year. Now, we’ve given up a little bit of direction to get his hang time where he’d like it to be, and hopefully we can get both — the hang and the direction — going into training camp.”
Meanwhile, veteran Andrew DePaola is the favorite at long snapper, although the 31-year-old missed the majority of last season with a torn ACL. The Raiders signed Trent Sieg to fill in, and the rookie ended up appearing in 15 games last year. While DePaola wasn’t able to get on the field with a rookie punter and rookie kicker, the veteran was still instrumental in their development.
“If we had any questions, we’d always ask him because he’s been through it a little more than we have,” Carlson said. “It was just huge for us last season to have that resource. It’s good to have him back and healthy and competing now again.”
Poll: Which Top 10 Pick Has The Highest Bust Potential?
The NFL Draft is just barely in the rear view mirror, which means that teams are full of hope for their young rookies. But, of course, the NFL Draft is largely a crapshoot, and not every player will realize their full potential. 
This year’s draft had talent, but lacked a true consensus on the top player. Many evaluators pegged defensive end Nick Bosa as the player with the highest ceiling in the 2019 class, but other saw Alabama’s Quinnen Williams as the “safest bet.” The 49ers pounced on Bosa with the No. 2 pick while the Jets (and former GM Mike Maccagnan) were delighted to land Williams at No. 3 overall.
Leading up to the draft, much of the attention was on Oklahoma quarterback (and one-time MLB hopeful) Kyler Murray. When Murray announced that he would ditch the Oakland A’s, his stock exploded – Murray was considered a borderline first-round prospect in the winter, but wound up as the Cardinals’ choice at No. 1 overall. Murray has the speed that teams crave at the QB position, but questions persist about his size and overall lack of experience as a full-time starter.
The Cardinals’ long flirtation with Murray brought us the expected result, but the Raiders gave us the real first shock of the draft when they tapped Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 overall. Not to be outdone, the Giants snagged Duke’s Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall. Heading into the draft, neither player was thought to be anywhere near Top 10 consideration, but Mike Mayock and Dave Gettleman were unwilling to trade down and risk losing out on their guys.
The domino effect created by those picks allowed the Bucs to grab inside linebacker Devin White (No. 5 overall), the Jaguars to land outside linebacker Josh Allen (No. 6), the Lions to snag top tight end T.J. Hockenson, the Bills to draft defensive tackle Ed Oliver (No. 9 overall), and the Steelers to finish out the Top 10 with linebacker Devin Bush. Most of those picks were warmly received, but nothing is certain in the draft.
Which Top 10 pick do you think has the highest bust potential? Click below to cast your vote (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.