Way too early Raiders mock draft: Week Two

With the first week of football in the books, we had some clarity where the Raiders are weak, and where they need a lot of work at. One thing is for sure, the Raiders will be great on offense, while the defensive backfield may need more work. Granted, it was the Saints that the Raiders were playing against, giving up 400+ yards week after week is a recipe for disaster. Let’s get into the thick of this week’s updated mock draft

AROUND COVER32
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Raider needs: DB, LB, DL

Round 1: Teez (Jalen) Tabor, CB, Florida, 1 INT, 2 TKL, 2 AST

Let’s be honest with one another, Sean Smith did not have a good game at all. It seemed he was behind by several steps whenever there was a large pass in the game, including the 98-yard touchdown given up in the 3rd quarter. At one point, it became clear that Drew Brees was picking on him. Maybe Smith had an injury we didn’t know of, but at the time of this writing, there has been no news. It could be entirely possible that Smith forgot how to jam receivers at the line (multi-millions dollar contracts make me forget things too). Regardless, one thing stands clear, Smith’s backup – D.J. Hayden is still not playing up to snuff. It is fair to say that the Raiders need some more talent at CB. For this reason, Teez (Jalen) Tabor would most likely be the Raider’s first round pick. Tabor is a bit shorter than the type of CB that the Raider’s use (6-0, 191). However, excellent instincts and good speed makes him the likely pick. What could work against a 1st round Tabor pick was he just came back from a one game suspension for “unacceptable behavior” by Florida. The Raiders have been taking in high character guys so far, so this could be a red flag for Tabor and the Raiders. This pick could easily become Cordea Tankersley from Clemson.

Previous Pick: Christian McCaffery, RB, Stanford

Round 2: Jalen Reeves- Maybin, LB, Tennessee, 10 SOLO, 5 AST, 15 TOT, 1.5 TFL

This week, it became clear that it wouldn’t hurt to add another LB. Mark Ingram averaging 4.8 YPC before the Saints realized the Raiders couldn’t stop the pass and when Brees wasn’t picking on Sean Smith he was exploiting a slower Malcolm Smith, the Raiders needed a stronger performance from their LBs. Was the Saints’ blocking scheme pretty good? Yes, but the fact stands that the Raiders couldn’t really stop the run. In particular, runs up the middle where Mark Ingram got most of his carries. I’m still a huge fan of Jalen Reeves-Maybin. If you watch the game against Tennessee and Virginia Tech, Jalen had to sit out the first quarter for a targeting call last week. Virginia Tech used the first quarter testing and pushing against Jalen’s backup. When Jalen returned, the Tennessee defense was able to make the necessary stops against Virginia Tech and helped shut down the Tech offense.

Previous Pick: Same

Round 3: Justin Evans, SS, Texas A&M, 3 PBU, 2 INT

Considering the nightmare of a game the DB unit had, it is easy to envision the Raiders going for another DB. The Raiders ended last season with an issue of DB depth. Sean Smith, Reggie Nelson, and Karl Joseph (injured) are great additions, but after a bad game it makes you wonder if it is a matter of a schematic problem or an issue of players not picking up the new system yet.
For everyone that doesn’t live outside of College Station, Justin Evans is just another name on a SEC squad. But, if you get the chance to watch him go up against top competition, he is always making plays for the Aggies. While Evans is relatively undersized, he packs quite the punch. Google “Justin Evans vs Derrick Henry” or just click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=QB6s5mGb94o) to take a look at the huge stop he made on a 3rd and 2. If you have time, watch the big game that Evans also had against UCLA two weeks ago. Evans is underrated, but fits the gaping DB hole the Raiders have right now. While he does play SS, he could easily be a strong backup (where the Raiders was exposed this week) and let T.J. Carrie focus on being a CB.

Last Week Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU

Disagree with the picks? Want to mock my mock draft? Send me hate mail me at twachansports@gmail.com or tweet me @twachancover32. Until next time, turrah! -T.W.A. Chan

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