Here’s our Raiders full mock draft and 53-man roster projection as NFL draft approaches
Time to figure out the Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 1 roster.
While it will be months before teams have to reduce rosters to 53 players, the Raiders made some transactions Thursday by waiving defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. and defensive end Arden Key.
The Raiders’ roster will keep taking shape in two weeks, when the NFL draft takes place April 29 to May 1 in Cleveland.
Free agency started March 17, but the Raiders did not sign a defensive back until last week, when the team brought back Karl Joseph, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the team before playing with the Cleveland Browns last season.
Could the Raiders add a veteran defensive back after the draft? That possibility can’t be ruled out, but for now we’ll take a look at the early roster.
Here we perform a full seven-round mock draft, using The Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator. The Raiders currently have eight picks. We considered the Raiders’ needs, of which there are plenty on defense.
Let us take a position-by-position look at what the Raiders roster might look like come Week 1. (Rookies denoted with asterisks.)
Quarterback (3)
Derek Carr
Marcus Mariota
Nathan Peterman
Mariota took a pay cut and will remain with the Raiders unless the team decides to trade him. We don’t expect that to happen because he provides insurance in case Carr gets injured.
Running back (4)
Josh Jacobs
Kenyan Drake
Alec Ingold
Chuba Hubbard* (Round 5, No. 167)
Some were surprised when the Raiders signed Drake to a free-agent contract. Drake can line up as a receiver and spell Jacobs when needed. This could be a pretty good 1-2 punch. Will not be surprised if the Raiders go with a running back in the draft. PFN notes that Hubbard is patient and “waits for blocks to develop, and has quick feet with the ability to change direction. Possesses outstanding vision, picks his way through the traffic, and quickly gets to top speed.”
Wide receiver (6)
John Brown
Henry Ruggs III
Bryan Edwards
Hunter Renfrow
Willie Snead IV
Zay Jones
The Raiders could go with a receiver in the draft, but looking at what they have, it is quite possible Las Vegas will not select a wide receiver. But, when you have Jon Gruden at coach, anything is possible.
Tight end (3)
Darren Waller
Foster Moreau
Derek Carrier
No need to add another tight end. Gruden carried a plethora of tight ends last season and was the brunt of jokes by media and fans. We can’t see that happening this time around when you have Waller and Moreau.
Offensive line (9)
Kolton Miller
Denzelle Good
Richie Incognito
John Simpson
Brandon Parker
Andre James
Nick Martin
Jalen Mayfield* (Round 3, No. 79)
Larry Borom* (Round 6, No. 200)
Gone are Gabe Jackson, Trent Brown and Rodney Hudson. The Raiders will look relatively different in the upcoming season. But there is a need at tackle and guard.
Defensive line (5)
Johnathan Hankins
David Irving
Solomon Thomas
Quinton Jefferson
Marvin Wilson* (Round 5, No. 162)
Added is Thomas and Jefferson in free agency and the Raiders brought back Irving who is looking to have a breakout season. Line could be much improved.
Defensive ends (5)
Maxx Crosby
Yannick Ngakoue
Clelin Ferrell
Kendal Vickers
Carlos Basham* (Round 2, No. 48)
Cuts go to Carl Nassib and Key, but the Raiders draft Basham, who is described by PFN as “tough, explosive, and instinctive defender with a complete game. Intelligent but also a slug-it-out defender.” The Raiders signed Ngakoue, who will play on the opposite end of Crosby. The group will be improved.
Linebackers (5)
Nick Kwiatkoski
Cory Littleton
Nicholas Morrow
Tanner Muse
Micah Parsons* (Round 1, No. 17)
Surprise, surprise. Parsons was available. If he’s available here, you have to figure the Raiders will draft him. We did. The Raiders will bank on Kwiatkoski and Littleton to have an improved season. Muse will likely be available after missing last season due to injury.
Cornerbacks (6)
Trayvon Mullen
Damon Arnette
Amik Robertson
Isaiah Johnson
Richard Sherman
Ambry Thomas* (Round 4, No. 121)
The Raiders haven’t done much with the secondary in free agency, so with the fourth-round pick we predict them going with Thomas. After the draft, we could see the Raiders signing Sherman, who is a free agent after spending his last three seasons with the 49ers. The Raiders are hoping for an improved season from Arnette.
Safeties (4)
Johnathan Abram
Jeff Heath
Karl Joseph
Jevon Holland* (Round 3, No. 80)
A relatively weak spot on the Raiders’ roster. Las Vegas brought back Joseph, who spent a season in Cleveland. We can see the Raiders going with more than one safety in the draft, but for now it is Holland.
Specialists (3)
Trent Sieg, LS
A.J. Cole, P
Daniel Carlson, K
Recap of our draft simulation
First round, No. 17: Micah Parsons, Penn State, linebacker
Second round, No. 48: Carlos Basham, Wake Forest, edge
Third round, No. 79: Jalen Mayfield, Michigan, tackle
Third round, No. 80: Jevon Holland, Oregon, safety
Fourth round, No. 121: Ambry Thomas, Michigan, cornerback
Fifth round, No. 162: Marvin Wilson, Florida State, defensive tackle
Fifth round, No. 167: Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State, running back
Sixth round, No. 200: Larry Borom, Missouri, guard
Final word
General managers and coaches will be stressed out in the draft. Going through the simulated draft, we found that out. We looked at available players and you wonder if the next player is better than the player you selected before. It’s like that in every draft.
April 29 can’t come soon enough. Tell us what you think about our picks.
This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Here’s our Raiders full mock draft and 53-man roster projection as NFL draft approaches."
