The Las Vegas Raiders have been busy this offseason, adding Marcus Mariota, Jason Witten, and Nelson Agholor on offense, while beefing up their defense with Cory Littleton, Nick Kwiatkoski, Eli Apple, and Malek Collins.
The defensive additions should be helpful to a weak all around defensive unit while the Mariota signing will depend on how he responds to a new environment. Mariota will make a fully guaranteed $7.5 million in 2020 coming off a season he was benched for Ryan Tannehill. He will get an opportunity to compete with Derek Carr.
2020 Draft Picks
Round 1, pick 12 (No. 12 overall): Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
Round 1, pick 19 (No. 19): Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
Round 3, pick 16 (No. 80): Lynn Bowden Jr., WR/RB/QB, Kentucky
Round 3, pick 17 (No. 81): Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina
Round 3, pick 36 (No. 100): Tanner Muse, S, Clemson
Round 4, pick 3 (No. 109): John Simpson, OG, Clemson
Round 4, pick 33 (No. 139): Amik Robertson, CB, Louisiana Tech
Team needs
Offense
The Raiders added Nelson Agholor, but he’s not the answer to their needs at receiver. Tyrell Williams remains a strong player, but he’s not the No. 1 who can run every route and take over a game. They also have the 12th and 19th overall pick in a draft with deep receiver talent, giving them a no-doubt top receiver this season.
Defense
Adding linebackers Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski filled a big hole, so the team won’t need to address that early in the draft, but they still need secondary help. They went after Byron Jones and Chris Harris in free agency and missed out, so they likely are keen on filling that need. Eli Apple helps, but the team probably doesn’t want him as their No. 2 cornerback going into the season.
Dream first pick
CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy will likely be the 12th overall pick, followed by a cornerback or safety at 19th overall. C.J. Henderson might not be there, but he would be the “dream pick” at cornerback. Lamb would be my choice between him and Jeudy, but you can’t go wrong with either.