The NFL has been busy in recent weeks with the NFL Combine and free agency going on. Teams have gotten a chance to get their first look at draft prospects in work outs while the league already seen several trades involving big names happen.
For the Oakland Raiders, this offseason is crucial in trying to retool their roster to fit new head coach Jon Gruden’s style of play. After finishing the 2017 NFL season with a 6-10 record, Gruden and the Oakland front office have a lot of work to do in order to get back to playing winning football.
The Raiders finished the 2017 NFL campaign with the same record as the San Francisco 49ers and thus a coin toss was held in order to determine who would have the ninth and 10th pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. According to Levi Damien of Silver and Black Pride, the Raiders lost the coin toss and will pick tenth:
Rod Woodson flipped the coin and it came up 49ers, which means Oakland receives the 10th overall pick and the two teams swap selections in corresponding rounds.”
Despite losing the coin toss, the Raiders are still in good position to draft a high-impact defensive player. The team is rumored to go hard after free agent cornerback Trumaine Johnson, so they could opt to pick up a linebacker with their first-round selection given NaVorro Bowman’s age and uncertain future with the silver and black.
Either way, the Raiders have several avenues toward addressing their defensive issues and will have more clarity who to draft once free agency officially begins. After a rough season, Oakland is a clear bounce-back candidate for the 2018 NFL season.
