Latest On Raiders’ NFL Draft Plans
The Raiders have kept their draft plans shrouded in secrecy, to the point where they dismissed their core scouts in order to keep a lid on things. With hours to go before the draft, we may have some insight into their strategy, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (on Twitter).
If the Raiders stay put at No. 4, Graziano does not expect the Raiders to select a quarterback, despite the rumblings we’ve heard as of late. If Alabama defensive end Quinnen Williams is available, which seems increasingly unlikely, Graziano thinks he’ll be the pick, or the Raiders could opt for Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver as a Plan B.
If the Raiders move up, Graziano hears they’ll target Nick Bosa. They could conceivably land this year’s consensus top talent by sliding up to the Niners’ No. 2 overall choice if SF is eyeing Josh Allen, as has been rumored.
Should the Raiders could choose to keep all three of their first-round picks, they could surprise by using the No. 24 or No. 27 on Marquise Brown, Graziano hears. That would be a stunner after the Raiders added Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams in the offseason, but crazier things have happened on draft day.
Raiders Considering QB With No. 4 Overall Pick?
Just over a week ago, we heard that the Raiders were unlikely to use one of their three first-round picks on a QB. However, a report from earlier this week suggested that Oakland would be sorely tempted by Kyler Murray if he should slip past the Cardinals, and now Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says that Murray isn’t the only signal-caller the Raiders will consider with the No. 4 overall pick (video link).
RapSheet says rumors connecting the Raiders to a QB continue to persist, and although the team has been steadfast in its support of Derek Carr, Murray and Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins were very impressive to Oakland brass. The implication here is that, assuming no one trades above the Raiders at No. 4, Haskins (or Murray) could very well be Oakland-bound.
That is why teams like the Redskins who are interested in Haskins are concerned with getting above both the Giants, who hold the No. 6 overall pick, and the Raiders. That is welcome news for the Jets, who have the No. 3 overall pick and who are anxious to trade down.
Top defensive prospects like Quinnen Williams have generally been mocked to the Raiders, and the club still could go in that direction. But head coach Jon Gruden is not shy about making bold decisions, and if the team went with Haskins, it could give itself another future trade chip in Carr, and it could still address more glaring needs with its other first round picks.
Marshawn Lynch Retires From NFL
Marshawn Lynch has retired. Again. 
After returning from his first retirement to play for the Raiders, the running back is not planning to take the field again, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Lynch, who just turned 33, leaves the game with a legacy as an exciting fan favorite. Beast Mode earned five Pro Bowl nods throughout his career and even secured a 2012 First-Team All-Pro selection when he tallied 1,590 yards and eleven touchdowns. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns on multiple occasions and racked up 1,200 yards or more in each season from 2011 through 2014.
With the Raiders, Lynch was effective, though not super consistent. Lynch rushed for 1,267 yards on 297 carries in his 21 games for Oakland, giving him an average of 4.3 yards per attempt in silver and black. Last year, Lynch lost the bulk of the season to a groin injury and was unable to return down the stretch.
Without Lynch, the Raiders will move forward with a backfield headlined by Isaiah Crowell, Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington, and Chris Warren. They may also look to bolster the group in the draft.
PFR wishes Lynch the best in retirement.
Justin Ellis On Trade Block
- Breer writes that 49ers‘ DE Arik Armstead is also expected to draw some trade interest, though he remains in San Francisco’s plans. Raiders‘ DT Justin Ellis is also said to be available, while Cowboys WR Allen Hurns is the best wideout that could be had via trade [SOURCE LINK].
Latest On Jets’ No. 3 Overall Pick
Kyler Murray and Joey Bosa have been predicted to head to the NFC West for weeks. If that does not happen, the draft will become captivating from the start. But the Jets are not viewed as likely to have a shot at Bosa.
The pass rusher-seeking team, though, may be ready to make a surprise pick at No. 3. Linked to Josh Allen and Quinnen Williams, the Jets instead are believed to be high on Ed Oliver. Jets coaches have been pushing for Oliver, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. This would cap a resurgence for the Houston-honed prospect.
This coincides with NBC Sports’ Peter King indicating the Jets are not enamored with Allen, the player viewed as the next-best edge rusher to Bosa in this draft. Allen improved his stock by coming back for his senior season at Kentucky, and Brian Costello of the New York Post writes the Jets are a bit concerned about the edge prospect being a one-year wonder. He posted 17 sacks as a senior after registering seven apiece in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Oliver announced before his junior season he would turn pro at its conclusion. He only played in eight games in 2018 and finished with Cougars career lows in sacks (three) and tackles for loss (14.5). The 6-foot-2 interior rusher would seemingly be a better fit in a 4-3 scheme, but despite the Jets sticking with their 3-4 look, Gregg Williams obviously has extensive experience using a 4-3.
Of course, this late Oliver rise may be a smokescreen. Those do peak in April. An NFL executive, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, believes this Oliver-Jets buzz is centered around coaxing the Raiders to trade up a spot to nab him. The Raiders — who use a 4-3 scheme — are believed to “love” Oliver, per Costello. However, Vacchiano adds Gregg Williams is indeed pro-Oliver.
Memphis RB Darrell Henderson Met With Four Teams
Memphis running back Darrell Henderson is now considered a possibility to sneak into the back end of the first round of the draft, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds Henderson has recently met with the Rams, Eagles, Raiders, and Cardinals.
Henderson (5’9″, 200) topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons and averaged an astounding 8.9 yards per carry in both campaigns. He ranks fourth behind Josh Jacobs (Alabama), Miles Sanders (Penn State), and Devin Singletary (FAU) on The Draft Network‘s running back rankings, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com calls Henderson a “home run hitter” while comparing him to now-49er Tevin Coleman.
Henderson is exceptional at running out of the shotgun formation: over the last four college seasons, Henderson ranks third in Graham Barfield’s Yards Created metric — which attempts to identify production a running back generated on his own, independent of offensive line play — out of shotgun. Circling back to the the four clubs Henderson has recently visited, the Eagles ranked fifth league-wide in shotgun run rate, per Warren Sharp. The Raiders finished 11th, the Cardinal 23rd, and the Rams dead last (just 4%).
‘Belief In Some Circles’ Raiders Could Draft Kyler Murray?
The conventional wisdom the past couple of months has been that the Cardinals will take Kyler Murray with the first overall pick. But nobody knows their true intentions, and they could just as easily take Nick Bosa or Quinnen Williams with the top pick. If they do pass on Murray, it’ll set off an interesting chain reaction.
This past week, we heard that some teams were beginning to prepare for some of the top quarterbacks to start slipping in the draft if the Cardinals do pass on Murray. If Arizona drafts Murray, it could create a frenzy for teams to move up and get one of the next top available passers like Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock. But if they don’t take Murray, teams could be more content to wait and everybody could end up sliding.
That being said, don’t expect Murray to fall too far. “There’s a belief in some circles” that the Raiders will be “tempted” to take Murray if he’s still available when they pick fourth overall, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Coach Jon Gruden and new GM Mike Mayock haven’t exactly been committal when asked about Derek Carr this offseason, so this isn’t too shocking.
Gruden and Mayock have both insisted they view Carr as a franchise quarterback, but have also said they’re willing to upgrade the position if the opportunity comes along. Thanks to the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades, the Raiders have plenty of draft ammo. They have three picks in the first round, and could easily execute a trade up for Murray if that’s what it ended up requiring.
At this point it would still be a surprise if it happens, but it’s worth noting. The team has already worked out Murray, as well as Haskins. Gruden has been playing coy with the Carr situation, and it’s unclear how he truly feels about the Raiders’ quarterback of the past five seasons. Fortunately, with the draft just days away, we should know more soon.
Raiders Eyeing Starting Guard In Draft
The Raiders disbanded their successful guard tandem this offseason, trading All-Pro Kelechi Osemele and a sixth-round pick to the Jets for a fifth-round selection. They plan to find Gabe Jackson‘s next guard mate in this draft, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes.
Osemele and Jackson started together for three seasons, forming one of the NFL’s best guard duos. This stands to be Jackson’s sixth season as a Raiders starter. He will join Rodney Hudson, Trent Brown and, likely, Kolton Miller on the Raiders’ first-string line. But it does not look like the Raiders want Denzelle Good or UFA addition Jordan Devey to be part of the unit.
Good, who started three games for the Raiders last season after the team claimed him late in the year, re-signed on a one-year, $1.8MM deal. Devey (two Chiefs starts in 2018) will make $880K this season.
Beyond their three first-round picks, the Raiders hold the No. 35 overall selection. Their next pick is not until No. 106, pointing to the team using one of its first four choices on a guard. The current thinking is a quarterback will not be one of Oakland’s first three picks. The team is eyeing cornerback help in this draft.
The Raiders’ only known pre-draft guard visit was with mid-round prospect Connor McGovern, but their staff coached Dalton Risner, a tackle who is likely to move inside at the pro level, along with Chris Lindstrom and centers Garrett Bradbury and Erik McCoy at the Senior Bowl.
Antonio Brown’s Contract Demands Nixed Offer Of First-Round Pick?
Antonio Brown‘s offseason has produced numerous headlines, that spree continuing after his arrival in Oakland. But not a ton of clarity emerged on what other offers the Steelers received for their perennial All-Pro wide receiver.
The Raiders swooped in after the Bills’ brief talks regarding Brown ended without a deal, landing a player on course for the Hall of Fame for third- and fifth-round picks. Interested teams had issues with Brown’s demand for a new contract, one of which apparently was ready to submit a much better proposal to the Steelers.
Brown’s financial demands stopped at least one team from offering a first-round pick, Jeremy Fowler and Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com report. Had the 30-year-old wideout been available without seeking another new contract, the ESPN duo notes Pittsburgh may well have acquired an extra first-round pick — presumably in 2019. However, teams knew a month prior to the trade that acquiring the mercurial wideout meant negotiating a new contract.
A slew of suitors emerged for Brown, in addition to the Bills, the Eagles, Saints, Titans and Redskins among them. The Bills were believed to be ready to swap first-rounders with the Steelers and part with two mid-round picks. That is the best known offer for Brown, and Fowler reports the Steelers felt strongly about the Bills’ proposal. The Patriots were indeed interested as well but the Steelers held firm on their stance not to do a deal with them.
After some convincing, the Raiders agreed to amend Brown’s contract. The Steelers dropped their asking price to those third- and fifth-rounders, with Kevin Colbert optimistic about the teams trying again — after some failed early talks on March 8 — to get a deal done. Brown ended up with $30MM in additional guarantees. The Steelers hold the Raiders’ No. 66 and No. 141 overall picks.
Latest On Raiders' Staff
- The Raiders ditched their scouting staff going into the draft and are expected to overhaul the department under new GM Mike Mayock. On draft weekend, Oakland’s non-Mayock/Jon Gruden staffers involved in the three-day event will be assistant director of player personnel Trey Scott and director of football administration Tom Delaney, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Delaney has been with the Raiders dating back to the first Gruden era; Scott rose to his current position under Reggie McKenzie‘s watch two years ago.