Raiders Draft Class Features Extremely Talented Players

Another draft is in the books, and it’s time to evaluate how the Raiders fared. Long-time draft expert Russell Lande has been a regular contributor to S&BI for several years and is considered one of the best in the business. He is the Director of College Scouting for the Montreal Alouettes, publisher of the GM Jr. Guide to the Draft and his draft insights can also be found on numerous national radio shows. Russ recently sat down to give his analysis on this year’s Raiders draft and offers his opinion on the newest rookies to wear the silver and black.

Question: What overall grade did you give the Raiders for the draft?

Lande: I would give the Raiders a strong B+ as I think they did a good job of getting extremely talented players at nearly every pick and did not reach to address a need.

Question: With holes at middle linebacker and defensive tackle, how surprised were you when the Raiders decided to draft a cornerback like Gareon Conley in the first round?  

Lande: I was not surprised at all as Reggie McKenzie has shown since he arrived that he is going to draft the best player available and is not going to reach to fill a need, which is why he has been so successful.

Question: The rape allegations clearly caused Conley’s stock to drop. If he is cleared of any wrongdoing, do you think other teams will regret passing him over?

Lande: I think there is no doubt that if it turns out that Conley did not commit a crime and has the opportunity to have a long NFL career that teams will regret passing on him, but the reality is that there was almost no time to truly find out all the details, so many teams just did not feel comfortable taking a chance with a first round pick. I am not sure they will regret their decision making process just that the incident happened so close to the draft that they were really hamstrung.

Question: Who should be more concerned, Sean Smith or David Amerson?