Questions and speculation abound within Raider Nation. Will this player or that player be available when we pick? Should we draft that "back-flipping" defensive end? Should we get that great cornerback? Why not take another quarterback?
This is nothing new from the Raider Nation, but they're way off base in a lot of cases.
In this article, I will lay out the Oakland Raider's team needs as seen by a former coach. Some of you will agree, some of you will not. Either way, this will be an unbiased look at the positions the Oakland Raiders need to improve the most.
1-A. Offensive tackle :
The first area of need is at the line of scrimmage...on both sides. In other words, it's a tie for first place between an offensive tackle and a defensive tackle.
Part of the reason for the anemic offense in Oakland last season was due to extreme pressure and a ton of sacks given up the porous offensive line, specifically from the right tackle position. If the Raiders can get a real left tackle in there, they can move Mario Henderson or Khalif Barnes over to the right side. This will alleviate a lot of the pressure, sacks and turnovers.
Options to improve this in the draft include:
First round: Trent Williams or Brian Bulaga, whom ever is available with the eighth pick. Anthony Davis is an option, but would be a bit of a reach in the top 10.
Second round: Bruce Campbell and Jared Veldheer. Campbell is a workout warrior, but not very polished in his position. Veldheer has been climbing draft boards and could be the sleeper of the draft.
1-B. Defensive tackle :
The biggest downfall of the Raider defense was against the run. They couldn't stop anyone, and made even average running backs look good. One of the main causes was due to poor defensive tackle play from Gerard Warren.<...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders