Mel Kiper Raiders NFL draft grade: Rookies add pressure to Derek Carr

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Raiders general manager Mike Mayock used to be a draft analyst for NFL Network. Now, in his current position, the classes he and coach Jon Gruden draft together are subject to analysis and criticism from some of his former peers.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. is one of those former peers, and he remains one of the top authorities on the subject. He recently released his grades for the 2020 NFL Draft, and thought Mayock and the Raiders did a fairly good job.

In giving Las Vegas a 'B' grade, Kiper appreciates the talent and speed the Raiders added on offense, though he wonders if they'll regret passing up -- twice -- on a certain quarterback prospect.

"This is a very Raiders draft, right? They reached for the fastest prospect in the class in the first round," Kiper wrote. "They took three wide receivers in their first four picks. And coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock took two more Clemson prospects, making that five total over the past two drafts.

"They clearly needed help at wide receiver, but I still thought they could take quarterback Jordan Love in Round 1 -- he was on the board for both of their picks. Instead, they're going to try to help incumbent starter Derek Carr as much as possible in 2020. Henry Ruggs III (12) is an underrated route runner, and he can score any time he gets the ball in his hands. And with Carr averaging a league-low 6.2 air yards per attempt last season, expect Ruggs to get a lot of those short targets."

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Kiper admitted he "scratched [his] head a little bit" at the Raiders' two third-round picks, Swiss-Army knife Lynn Bowden Jr. and receiver Bryan Edwards, arguing they had bigger needs than at wide receiver. He also believes they didn't get full value out of their second first-round pick, which they used to select cornerback Damon Arnette.

"Las Vegas reached a little bit with its other first-round pick -- marking the end of the first-rounders from the Khalil Mack trade -- as cornerback Damon Arnette (19) fills a need position but is lower on my board. He is my sixth-ranked corner, and I had him No. 51 overall, though it's not as big of a reach as Atlanta taking A.J. Terrell at No. 16. Arnette is a fine player, but could Gruden and Mayock have traded down to get him?"

On the other hand, Kiper is a big fan of cornerback Amik Robertson, whom the Raiders picked on Day 3, and understands why they invested as many resources as they did to build up the offense around quarterback Derek Carr. 

[RELATED: Carr elated with offensive weapons Raiders added in draft]

If all goes well, Kiper imagines Carr will play his way into a contract extension. But if it doesn't, he believes they might live to regret passing up on his potential successor.

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