2019 NFL Draft: Oakland Raiders 7 round mock draft
By Joe Romano
Round 2 – Pick 35
Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama
After filling a ton of needs in the first two rounds, Oakland can let the board fall to them as the draft progresses. In this mock draft, like most real NFL drafts, there were reaches in the first round that push talented prospects into early round two. Last year this was the case with Cleveland grabbing Nick Chubb or Indianapolis’ Darius Leonard.
With Oakland grabbing Alabama’s Mack Wilson, they may have next year’s Leonard. Wilson is a three down linebacker who can step in and lead Oakland’s defense for a long time. Coming from Alabama, he is a pro ready prospect who has shown enough athleticism to be a player that can line up in multiple fronts.
Wilson is a bit undersized despite being listed at 6-feet and 230 pounds. He plays fast and hard and in today’s NFL with speed winning more than size he should be fine playing at that weight. Where he wins is with his ability to read and react to what is happening in front of him. If he sees something he is quick to pull the trigger on action and attack. There were times where he looked like the best player on a defense that could feature three first round picks this year. Even in 2017-18 Wilson looked the part of an NFL linebacker. Gruden will need a guy to step in and lead a very young unit in 2018, Wilson has that leadership ability and backs it up by being a fantastic player.