NFL Draft 2015: List of Oakland Raiders Draft Picks

The Oakland Raiders will heavily influence the draft with their selections, particularly in the first round.

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The Oakland Raiders enter into the 2015 NFL draft as one of the key teams to influence the rest of the draft. They come in with seven picks total, one for each round. Interestingly enough, none of their picks have come through trade or compensation.

Here is how the draft stacks up for the Oakland Raiders when Thursday rolls around:

First round #4 overall (#4 in round)

Second round #35 (#3 in round)

Third round #68 (#4 in round)

Fourth round #102 (#3 in round)

Fifth round #140 (#4 in round)

Sixth round#179 (#3 in round)

Seventh round #221 (#4 in round)

Obviously, the Raiders’ draft hinges on what they do with the fourth selection in the first round.

With both likely to still be on the board, the Raiders are in a position to select the best wide receiver available between Alabama’s Amari Cooper and West Virginia’s Kevin White. The Raiders could of course decide that someone like Nelson Agholor is the best receiver in the draft, and throw everything off for the remainder of the draft.

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But the biggest need for the Raiders is in the pass rush, and they will have the ability to select between edge rushers Dante Fowler, Jr., Randy Gregory and Vic Beasley. The Raiders run a 4-3 defense, and Florida Man Fowler’s versatility makes him the best schematic fit for the Raiders at four, but he may already be gone by the time the fourth selection rolls around. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams from USC is a strong candidate to be taken here, as he would likely be the best player available and would solidify a defense with emerging stars in Khalil Mack and Sio Moore.

The best case scenario for the Raiders would be for a player like Williams or Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota to fall to the fourth pick. A team that covets either one of those players, especially Mariota, could give up a king’s ransom for the right to select Mariota ahead of the Washington Redskins at five and the New York Jets at six. This would allow the Raiders to keep a selection in the first round while acquiring a high round draft choice in this year or the next year, putting them in position to take a pass rusher like Kentucky’s Bud Dupree.

Once the team’s first round selection is over, that will determine the way the Raiders draft will go from that point forward. In the second and third rounds, there will be plenty of defensive backs, wide receivers and running backs from which to choose. But the selection of pass rushers becomes slimmer, so it is imperative that they act early.

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