2017 NFL Mock Draft: Clemson stars dominate
By Brad Weiss
Teez Tabor
CB, Florida
There cannot be a worse way to end a season than what happened to the Oakland Raiders in 2016. Throughout the entire regular season, the Raiders looked like a team that could represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Quarterback Derek Carr emerged as one of the best in the business at the position, and the Raiders were 11-3 heading into their Week 16 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. From there, the wheels fell off, and the Raiders would be eliminated in the Wild Card round.
Carr broke his leg against the Colts late in the fourth quarter of the team’s blowout win, and the Raiders would lose their AFC West title the next weekend with Matt McGloin under center. To make matters worse, the team started Connor Cook in their first playoff game since 2002, and were quickly disposed of by the Houston Texans. The team should be healthy in 2017, but a big weakness continues to rear its ugly head in Oakland.
Despite going out of their way to bolster their secondary last offseason, the Raiders still struggled mightily against the pass. The team brought in Sean Smith to team with David Amerson at cornerback, and even that did not work. They should look to draft a player like Teez Tabor in April, as the young corner from Florida has all the tools to be a shutdown corner at the next level. Even if they do bring Smith back, Oakland needs help back there, and Tabor would be an instant upgrade over Amerson.