Raiders must ‘hit some home runs' in NFL Draft, get more from previous classes

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Reggie McKenzie has made some excellent draft picks. The Raiders general manager built a young foundation through amateur selection, including prominent players at vital positions.

Franchise quarterback Derek Carr, elite edge rusher Khalil Mack, stout guard Gabe Jackson and dynamic receiver Amari Cooper have all heard their name called on draft day.

One problem: Those guys have been given contract extensions or will get one soon.

In other words, it’s been a while since McKenzie struck gold.

The 2014 draft class is his signature, an elite collection among the NFL’s best over the last decade. Then he nabbed Cooper in 2015. And not much since then.

2016 first-round Karl Joseph is a consistent starter, and that’s the nicest thing you can say about anyone drafted recently.

Only three members of the 2015 class remain on the roster. The 2016 group includes defensive lineman Jihad Ward, edge rusher Shilique Calhoun and quarterback Connor Cook, taken in round 2-4, respectively, who haven’t made significant contributions.

Last year’s crop was decimated by injury, with the top three draft picks all undergoing major surgery their rookie year.

It didn’t take new head coach Jon Gruden long to acknowledge that. He said at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Raiders need more from their last three draft classes, singling Cooper out as that group’s only impact player.

Building depth and top quality through the draft is vital on a Raiders squad with so much money going to Carr right now and Mack in the near future. They can’t afford to swing and miss so often.

The Raiders need to hit a home run in this week’s 2018 NFL Draft, which starts Thursday evening. They must also mine more from guys already here. The jury’s still out on these young players, but they must show better posthaste.

“I’m not closing the book on last year’s draft of two years ago draft,” Gruden said Tuesday. “Our job is to develop players. That’s what coaches are here to do. We’re not here to draft people and sign the contracts and do all that stuff necessarily. We’re here to develop the players that are in the building. We need to do a better job getting more out of those three classes.

“At the same time, we have to hit some home runs in this draft. We have to get some players that can come in and help us.”

The Raiders have 11 selections, starting with the No. 10 overall pick. They have plenty of roster needs and must start filling them now.

Insufficient recent returns, however, won’t add urgency to this year’s proceedings. Each year is independent, with an opportunity to find impact players.

“What we want to do is just bring in some good players, really good football players,” McKenzie said last week. “We’re not going to beat up on some of these guys who physically were not able to get out there and play. Hopefully some of these guys from the past drafts, we can get them out there, keep them healthy and see what they can do. Hopefully this is the year. Even the guys we draft this year, we have no idea if they can make it through OTAs or training camp and preseason healthy. You just hope and pray they can be there for us and see what they can do during the season. We’re hopeful that we can stay healthy and let the guys play.”

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