The Raiders own two first-round draft picks and three third-round picks, giving them a lot of ammo with which to move around in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Silver and Black are expected to fill either their glaring wide receiver need or their gaping hole at cornerback with the No. 12 overall pick. Their play at No. 19 is less certain, with a trade down scenario likely to try and pick up a second-round pick.
But is it possible general manager Mike Mayock and coach Jon Gruden could be interested in trading down from No. 12. It appears the Philadelphia Eagles are interested in the possibility in order to go get wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Joe Tordy of 97.5 in Philadelphia reported Wednesday.
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Lamb was an electric receiver in college, a YAC king who can be a dynamic, game-changing vertical threat at the next level. It's not surprising the Eagles are targeting him after they trotted out a who's who of practice squad guys at wide receiver last year. Sitting at No. 21, the Eagles are in danger of watching the top-four receivers -- Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs and Justin Jefferson -- be off the board by the time they go on the clock. That would be devastating for a team that desperately needs to get quarterback Carson Wentz some weapons.
But would the Raiders, who have a massive zero at the No. 1 wide receiver spot, consider moving back and giving up the opportunity to draft a star pass-catcher or lockdown corner in CJ Henderson?
Any trade for the Raiders obviously would include the No. 21 overall pick and the Eagles' second-round pick (No. 53 overall). Would having three picks in the top-53 --potentially giving the Raiders a chance to add a receiver in tier under Lamb, a corner in the tier under Henderson and a defensive tackle like Neville Gallimore -- be worth the trade?
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Mayock is on the record saying he loves picks 20 through 60 and thinks you can get a No. 1 wide receiver later, possibly even in the third round. But trading out of No. 12 doesn't make a lot of sense from the Raiders' perspective unless they are getting a haul. The Silver and Black made out like bandits in the draft last season, finding seven immediate contributors to accelerate their rebuild. In order to continue the momentum they built in their 7-9 2019 campaign, the Raiders need to add elite talent to their roster.
They currently lack game-changing speed and home-run ability at wide receiver. They can get that in Lamb, Ruggs or Jeudy at No. 12. They can't go into another season without giving quarterback Derek Carr the requisite weapons needed to determine whether or not he's a franchise quarterback. The best way to do that is to take a wide receiver at No. 12 -- one of the elite talents -- then trade down from No. 19 into the back-end of the first round while picking up a pick in the second round, and use that second-round pick another receiver while taking a corner with that late first-round pick.
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There's no doubt Mayock and Gruden will be looking to move around a lot during the draft. But they should be anchored at No. 12 unless they have the ability to move up to get a sliding elite prospect like Derrick Brown, Jeff Okudah or Isaiah Simmons. Otherwise, they should go on the clock at No. 12 and take the receiver available or Henderson and add an influx of elite talent to an improving roster.
If the Eagles can't blow them away, it should be a no for Mayock and Gruden.