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The Oakland Raiders will be the busiest team on the first day of the NFL Draft. They have three first round picks because of the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades. One position that the Raiders will not address in the first round is a quarterback, according to Sports Illustrated.
Quarterback is not a position of need for the team as Derek Carr is still on the roster. He is in the second year of his five-year, $125 million deal. Carr has not performed poorly for the Raiders but he has not played up to the lofty expectations so far.
The Raiders hired former NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock to be their GM. He has never been a GM before so the 2019 draft will be his NFL draft. Jon Gruden was the team’s head coach last season as the Raiders went 4-12 in 2018 after trading away Mack and Cooper.
Their offseason has been successful so far as the Raiders acquired Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, Trent Brown, Lamarcus Joyner, Vontaze Burfict, and Isaiah Crowell. Gruden and Mayock have emphasized giving Carr help with the addition of the two Browns and Williams.
The Raiders lost tight end Jared Cook and will probably address that in the first round. They had the worst pass rush in the league last year and need to use one of their first round picks on a pass rusher. The 2019 draft is loaded with talented pass rushers and the Raiders cannot have another season with only 13 sacks as a team.
The team may have ruled out a quarterback in the first round but the Raiders could still draft one in 2019. Carr still has three years left on his massive contract and the team could try and unload him before the start of the 2019 season. West Virginia’s Will Grier should be available at the beginning of the second round so do not be surprised if Mayock pulls the trigger on him.
The Raiders are the most interesting team in the 2019 NFL Draft because of their three first-round picks. Their fans will find out if they took a quarterback in the first round on April 25 at 8 p.m.
