The Oakland Raiders spent the 2018 NFL season stockpiling picks for the 2019 NFL Draft and it appears head coach Jon Gruden will look to keep it going in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Gruden traded nearly all of their Pro Bowl talent in exchange for a bevy of draft picks. As a result, they now own the No. 4, 24, and 27 picks.
Oakland now has a number of different ways they can approach this year’s draft in order to maximize their picks. It seems Gruden has not ruled out the idea of shaking things up.
According to Grant Gordon of NFL, Gruden indicated he is open to potentially trading all of his picks:
“I think there’s a lot of potential for trades,” Gruden said. “I think that’s one of the things I’m really excited about. [New Raiders general manager] Mike Mayock what he brings to the table, he’s got great resources around the NFL. He’s been in every building, he’s on a first-name basis; everybody knows Mike. And I think he’s gonna be on the phones quite a bit, not only with those two picks you talked about, who knows, we may move up with the No. 4 pick, we may move back with that pick. We’ll see how it all unfolds.”
The Raiders will certainly have plenty of options come draft day. The onus will be on Gruden and the front office to make the most out of their picks considering what they gave up for them last season.
Oakland made headlines when they parted ways with Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. The trade was magnified by the fact that both players went on to enjoy great success with their new teams while the Raiders endured a disastrous 4-12 season.
Gruden knows full well the time has come for him to follow through on his reasoning for the trades. This could be why he is considering any and all possibilities in the upcoming draft.
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