NFL Draft rumors: Oakland Raiders could trade down if Sammy Watkins is off the board
By Jack Crosby
The Oakland Raiders, as they continue to try and bring the organization back to prominence, sit with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft next week, and they certainly have options.
While those options are there, general manager Reggie McKenzie met with the media on Thursday and he may have more or less laid out the Raiders’ draft plans at number five.
If Sammy Watkins is gone, then let the trade down talk begin.
At one point in the presser, McKenzie further fueled the trade rumors by exclaiming that his “phone line is always open” on draft day.
That comment, though, was then followed by an exclamation of the team absolutely not passing up on a “great” wide receiver, and in this rather deep group, Watkins has been the only one looked at as en elite talent at the position.
Reggie McKenzie said the #Raiders won't pass on a "great" receiver to wait for a "good" receiver later in the draft.
— Raiders Beat (@RaidersBeat) May 1, 2014
Of course, it’s not that hard to put the pieces of that puzzle together. If say, for instance, the Rams take Watkins with the second overall pick, then the Raiders trade movement will be in full force.
Is there a chance this could be a smokescreen? Of course, however when have we ever known the Raiders to be anything less than bluntly honest?