Oakland Raiders Draft Picks
Pick Name Position School
#5 Khalil Mack OLB Buffalo
#36 Derek Carr QB Fresno State
#81 Gabe Jackson OG Mississippi State
#107 Justin Ellis DT Louisiana Tech
#116 Keith McGill CB Utah
#219 Travis Carrie CB Ohio
#235 Shelby Harris DE Illinois State
#247 Jonathan Dowling CB/SS Western Kentucky
The picks and positions this year tell of a need to bolster and reawaken the Silver & Black’s defensive unit which ended the 2013 season ranked 24th in the league. Oakland’s first round draft pick, Khalil Mack, can bring his speed to bear when confronting the run, the short pass game or, hopefully, be a potential playmaker in sacks/turnovers. Ellis and Harris are in position to plug the run game. McGill, Carrie and Dowling will firm up the passing coverage. How often any of the rookies is offered field time will hint at how aggressive Oakland wishes to be in their desire to improve.
On offense, the story is again the quarterback position. Having spent a second round pick on the “quarterback of the future”, Derek Carr, the Raiders covered their bet by trading a 2014 6th round choice to Houston in exchange for quarterback Matt Schaub. Now in his eleventh year in the league, Schaub will be given the chance to reprise his 2009 career-best year during his two year contract before making way for the game-ready Carr. Despite new league rules which tend to protect quarterbacks, expect his 2011 and 2013 injuries to haunt the minds of the front office and the coaches until the transition occurs.
At the opposite end the spectrum, the addition of the consistently well and ready-to-play Gabe Jackson at offensive guard should provide whoever is at QB some measure of comfort.
