Raiders’ Draft Strategy Reveals What The Front Office Thinks Of The Roster

Jeff Spiegel
Jeff Spiegel
5 Min Read
Aug 26, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler looks on during the game against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

To be fair, Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler is in a nearly impossible spot regarding the team’s roster construction. Big picture, this roster kind of stinks. Draft whiffs, poor allocation of resources — you name it, the Raiders have failed at it over the past five years.

And yet, on the flip side, they do have a handful of guys who are the type of difference makers that every team dreams of acquiring — guys like Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs. And those guys want to win now.

This leaves Ziegler with an impossible question: Build for the short term or build for the future? Unfortunately, this offseason seems to indicate his answer is “neither” (or “both” if you want to be more optimistic).

Jimmy Garoppolo, Raiders
Mar 17, 2023; Henderson, NV, USA; New Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo speaks to the media at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

In his first two offseasons, he has acted like the goal is to win now — he spent $72 million on 31-year-old Jimmy Garoppolo one year after giving 32-year-old Chandler Jones $51 million and trading valuable draft picks for Davante Adams. All three moves were designed to make this team better in the short-term (whether they will or not is up for debate), but they also don’t help the team in the long run (they hurt future draft position, cost draft picks and took away money that could have been spent on younger building blocks).

Along these lines, for the sake of consistency you’d have expected the Raiders to attack the draft with a similar mindset — look at the holes on the current depth chart and fill them with difference-makers.

But…they didn’t.

When the Raiders were on the clock at pick No. 7, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to help the 2023 roster: a cornerback like Christian Gonzalez would have stepped in as the team’s best defensive back immediately, while an offensive lineman like Broderick Jones would have been an immediate difference maker on the offensive line. Heck, even trading down (as Peter King indicated they had the opportunity to do) would have netted them an extra second-round pick to bolster the roster.

Instead, they stayed put and drafted Tyree Wilson — a defensive end who isn’t expected to be a Day-One starter (because of how much they spent on Jones). To be clear: I loved the Wilson pick in a vacuum (I gave it an “A” grade), but I don’t see how it fits with everything else they have done of late.

Mar 4, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer (TE10) participates in drills at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In the second round, they traded up for tight end Michael Mayer — another pick I loved, and yet another pick that could have been used to help the 2023 roster more effectively. The offense won’t be what holds this group back — specifically pass-catchers — even if Mayer was great value at that point in the draft.

The truth is, as I reflect on the draft,t I do so with mixed emotions. I loved the top two picks, but I’m confused about what the plan is. What the Raiders need more than anything else is this: clarity. They need a plan that they stick to come hell or high water — in free agency, in the draft, in game planning, etc.

Are they trying to win now? Or are they trying to build for the future? Unfortunately, the answer seems to be “yes” — and it doesn’t make any sense.

Jeff Spiegel was raised in California but currently resides in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from the University of Oregon, he worked in sports before entering journalism full time — first as a Sports Reporter and then as the Associate Editor of a small newspaper. Online, he has been writing about both the Raiders and Dodgers since 2012 — having written for DodgersNation.com and SBNation.com prior to joining both DodgerBlue.com and RaidersNewswire.com. He left full-time journalism in 2012 to become a pastor. Jeff can be found on Twitter at @JeffSpiegel. Favorite Raider This one is an easy one for me: Charles Woodson. When the Raiders drafted him, there was nothing to dislike about the guy — he was exciting and he was freaking good. Unfortunately, of course, he left after eight seasons — but when he returned in 2013 it was one of the better Raider moments of my lifetime. At that point, I didn't care how washed he was (and he wasn't!) — I just liked having him back in the silver and black. Obviously Tim Brown is another guy that was easy to love, but Woodson is the all-timer for me. As far as current, I'm still a believer in Derek Carr and think he's going to figure this all out. Favorite Raider Moment I think I'll go with the two weeks leading up to the 2001 Super Bowl. As a kid, I remember getting the newspaper every morning to read what they were talking about, clipping out the articles to keep for later. It was obviously far more exciting than the Super Bowl itself, but I'll never forget those moments of hope leading up to the Super Bowl. I referenced it above, but second to that was probably the return of Charles Woodson in 2013 — I just loved the guy, and never dreamed he'd actually come back.
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