Breaking down the Oakland Raiders' 2018 draft class.
Round 1, No. 15 overall: Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
My take: Hmmm. Sure, the Raiders could use help on the offensive line, but is UCLA’s Kolton Miller, who was seen as a potential third-round pick by many draft observers, the right selection at No. 15? Especially with Florida State defensive back Derwin James, Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Boston College edge rusher Harold Landry, Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan, Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson and Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander still all on the board? "All great players,” said Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, “but we liked Kolton." This pick, made after Oakland traded back from No. 10, will not sit well with Raider Nation, which wanted a playmaker, rather than a potential project at right tackle. Still, Tom Cable, the former Raiders coach who is returning as Jon Gruden’s offensive line coach, has to love this pick. McKenzie said they based their evaluation on Miller's game tape, rather than the workouts or the combine.
Addressing a need, though: As dominant as the Raiders' offensive line has shown it can be, there is a weakness at right tackle and Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn turned 35 on Friday. Miller is a fourth-year junior who was the Bruins’ starter at right tackle in 2016 before moving to left tackle last season. The Raiders ranked 31st in yards before contact per rush last season, per ESPN Stats & Information, while ranking first in yards after contact per rush. Miller is the first offensive lineman taken in the first round by the Raiders since Robert Gallery went second overall in 2004. Miller is also the first UCLA offensive lineman to go in the first round since Jonathan Ogden was drafted in 1996. Still, he missed significant time at UCLA in 2016 because of a leg injury.
Then what about Miller appealed to Oakland? “The fact that he’s a big man that can move his feet,” McKenzie said. “He’s played left tackle and right tackle. He’s been an offensive lineman pretty much his whole life. He understands the game. He’s an excellent athlete who has great potential, so we feel really good about adding him to the Raider roster. What Kolton can do is, when you talk about pass protection and staying in front of his guy, that’s what he does. I mean he’s got the length, he’s got the great feet and when you’re talking about playing at the second level, pulling. I mean, this guy has a lot of talent and we think if we can get him on scheme and get coach Cabes [Tom Cable] working with him, he’s going to flourish.”
Fitting in? Miller helps fortify the offensive line -- even if Oakland may have been targeting Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey at No. 10, before the 49ers took him at No. 9 -- especially with the division rival Denver Broncos drafting Bradley Chubb to pair with Von Miller. But the Raiders signed Breno Giacomini in free agency, a year after drafting David Sharpe and two years after drafting Vadal Alexander. So who’s the odd man out? Miller will have a friend in defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, a former teammate at UCLA as well as a high school rival in the Sacramento area. Miller said it was Gruden who called him with the news of his selection and was asked if he was "fired up” with the news. “Hell yeah,” Miller said. “I’ve been waiting this whole time for that phone call to ring. It was sort of overwhelming. I’m super happy now ... more excited now to go to the facility and get to work.”
Round 2, No. 57: P.J. Hall, DT, Sam Houston State
My take: Who? OK, settle down. Yes, it might tweak Raider Nation a tad to use a second-round pick on a small-school prospect, but Hall was productive at Sam Houston State. And the Raiders need someone to push the pocket in order to give Khalil Mack help on the edge. So if the two-time first-team FCS All-American can somehow replicate the 60 tackles, 19 for loss, 6 sacks and 6 pass breakups he had last season, then yeah, mission accomplished. But the jump to the NFL is a big one, though the 6-foot-1, 310-pounder does have hops, as evidenced by his FCS-record 14 career blocked kicks.
How he fits: It is hard to imagine a player who was not invited to the combine to make much of an immediate impact on the defensive line. Maybe the Raiders simply need to replace Denico Autry as the designated kick-blocker? I kid ... kinda. But Hall fits, obviously, if he can mimic what he did at Sam Houston State, and not just in his senior season. For his career, Hall set the FCS record with 86.5 tackles for loss, breaking new teammate James Cowser's previous mark of 80 at Southern Utah. Here are McKenzie’s second-round picks in Oakland: OT Menelik Watson, QB Derek Carr, DE Mario Edwards Jr., DE Jihad Ward and S Obi Melifonwu.
Hall said he models his game after Rams' All-Pro Aaron Donald. "I feel like I'll fit really well on the [Raiders] defense. Their four-front, they want me as their three-technique, they have a penetrating defense, especially for the defensive line. And I feel that's exactly where I'll best fit at, getting up field, being explosive and just disrupting things. I feel I'll fit right in and I'm excited."
Hall moved to defensive tackle from defensive end last season. "I felt like it helped a lot," he said. "Whenever I had to go inside, I was way more athletic than a lot of the guards I went against so that helped a lot. When I had to go inside, it was a little tough. It was my first time ever playing it, but as the season went along, I got more used to it and got comfortable playing it and then it got better."
Round 3, No. 65 overall: Brandon Parker, T, North Carolina A&T
My take: Another offensive tackle? After taking Kolton Miller in the first round, and David Sharpe and Jylan Ware in the fourth and seventh rounds, respectively, last year, and Vadal Alexander in the seventh round in 2016? Indeed. Using the first pick of the third round on Parker is a sign that previous O-line draft picks have left a lot to be desired. The massive Parker -- 6-foot-7, 310 pounds -- dominated the lower-level competition in the MEAC as a four-year starter. He likely will need a year or two of development, and that is not really optimal for a third-round pick. In the Senior Bowl, he gave up two sacks and six total pressures in 23 pass-block snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
How he fits: Competition, competition, competition. The Raiders have used first-, third- and fourth-round picks on tackles in the past two drafts now and gave free agent Breno Giacomini a $1 million signing bonus, while Pro Bowler Donald Penn is guaranteed $3 million. And yet ... the Raiders traded three picks to move up to grab Parker, so they are very high on him. He has 35-inch arms that can keep defenders at bay. “My grandmother was a Raiders fan,” Parker said. “I’ve watched coach [Jon] Gruden for years, so it’s like a dream getting to play for him now.”
Round 3, No. 87 overall: Arden Key, DE, LSU
My take: Finally, some help for Khalil Mack in the form of a pass-rusher on the other side of the line ... as long as Key stays on the straight and narrow. He has had issues in school with suspension and checked himself into rehab for marijuana but insists he is past it. The Raiders believe him. If he is right, Key could be a steal at No. 87 overall. He sees himself as the draft's best pass-rusher in this class, and why not? At 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, Key had 21 career sacks among his 130 tackles, 26.5 for loss, and 28 quarterback hurries. "I know I’m not a third-round pick; I’m a first-round talent ... this is a consequence of what I went through," he said.
How he fits: As a third pass-rusher on the outside, along with Mack and Bruce Irvin, with second-round selection P.J. Hall seen in Oakland as the interior pass-rusher that has been missing. Even with the character concerns. “At the end of the third round,” Gruden said, “we feel like he’s a gamble worth taking.” As a sophomore in 2016, he set the LSU single-season record with 12 sacks. But again, it all comes down to his availability. How does he fit? Irvin tweeted at Key. “we gon keep you away from the bulls--- just b ready to work! Welcome to the town!”
Round 4, No. 110 overall: Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin
My take: Sure, the Raiders could use depth at cornerback, and Nelson, who transferred to Wisconsin from Hawaii, checks off that box. However, he is injured. He tore his meniscus this month in a private workout, so how far behind the curve will he be in offseason workouts? Then there’s this -- Nelson was penalized 183 yards over the past two years with 12 holding and pass interference penalties and he has yet to get an interception in his career. Doesn’t seem like a pick that would contribute right away, does it?
How he fits: Stashed on the practice squad? I kid, kinda. But if Nelson cannot participate in any workouts until training camp, he becomes a forgotten man in a sea already full of nondescript corners, save Rashaan Melvin. And the Raiders were obviously interested and impressed enough to use a fourth-round pick on him. So if the injury and his recovery from surgery is not as long as feared, Nelson could battle for that slot corner role as a rookie. He did, after all, have a 34.2 percent incompletion rate, per Pro Football Focus, the second-best such rate among draft eligible corners in college football last year.
Round 5, No. 140 overall: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
My take: An absolute steal for Oakland, which traded up from No. 159 overall to No. 140 to select arguably the premier pass-rushing defensive tackle in the draft. Thing is, there are concerns about his heart after an EKG taken at the combine showed irregularities. He has since been cleared for football activities and still dropped from a first-round talent to the third pick of the fifth round. He, like Hall, addresses a massive need for an interior pass-rusher, as evidenced by his 12.5 career sacks, including 5.0 last season. Pro Football Focus had Hurst ranked as the third-best player in the draft.
How he fits: So long as he is healthy, he could be the starting defensive tackle opposite Mack in the Raiders’ 4-3 base defense. That is how good and impactful he projects to be. With Hurst, Mack, Irvin, Hall and Key, the Raiders figure to get after opposing quarterbacks with aplomb this season. And if this football thing does not work, well, Hurst has proclaimed himself to be the best Uber driver in Ann Arbor.
Round 5, No. 173 overall: Johnny Townsend, P, Florida
My take: After cutting Marquette King late last month, the lone punter on the roster was Colby Wadman from UC Davis. So it was obvious Oakland would draft a punter, and you had a sense the Raiders would go after Texas’ Michael Dickson or Alabama’s JK Scott. But both were already off the board by the time the Raiders' selection came at No. 173 in the fifth round. Townsend, though, also has a big leg, as evidenced by his average of 47.5 yards.
How he fits: As the presumptive Day 1 punter … as long as there are no overwhelming yips, shanks or bouts with homesickness for a specialist who has only lived in Orlando and Gainesville. And with a low social-media profile, he fits into what special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia desires out of his players. Townsend is the first punter drafted by the Raiders since Shane Lechler was taken in the fifth round, No. 142 overall, in 2000. It would not be shocking for the Raiders to bring in a veteran punter to compete as well.
Round 6, No. 216 overall: Azeem Victor, LB, Washington
My take: The Raiders finally address a need at inside linebacker in taking Victor. And yet… there are character concerns here, with Victor serving two suspensions last year, one for a DUI charge. McKenzie and coach Gruden have said they are not taking a player with issues they do not feel comfortable with in the first place, so Victor will have a fresh start, so to speak.
How he fits: It depends upon if the Raiders re-sign NaVorro Bowman. From a pure athletic standpoint, Victor has the physical tools to play in the NFL, but needs maturity. He gained weight in 2017, served his suspensions, played in only nine games, starting five, and missed the Fiesta Bowl. With no Bowman, second-year MLB Marquel Lee would appear to be the starter inside. Victor had 30 tackles and two sacks last season for the Huskies.
Round 7, No. 228 overall: Marcell Ateman, WR, Oklahoma State
My take: The Raiders missed the red zone and jump-ball presence of Andre Holmes last season and Ateman, taken with the Raiders’ final pick in the seventh round, has a similar skill set. At 6-feet-4 1/2, 216 pounds, Ateman is a big target. His arrival could also portend the end of receiver Seth Roberts, who was already on thin ice after the acquisition of Martavis Bryant in a trade on Thursday.
How he fits: As noted above, he’s a red-zone target with his size, not his speed. He “only” ran a 4.62 40-time, sloth-like by the late Al Davis’ standards but is efficient. He missed the 2016 season with a broken bone in his foot and played four seasons at Oklahoma State so he will be a grizzled rookie at the age of 24. He caught 124 passes for 2,190 yards and 13 TDs in college.