The Raiders are exploring trade-down scenarios in Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft, according to league sources.
“They would like to trade back,” a team executive said of the Raiders, who have the sixth pick.
That jibes with recent speculation linking the Raiders to multiple prospects, including Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron and Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker.
The conclusion is the Raiders have a comfort level with a cluster of five to six players, but aren’t madly in love with any of them.
That makes moving from No. 6 to as far as No. 12 far more agreeable than one might suspect. The Raiders still would get a player they really like, but also could add an extra second-round pick and other considerations.
In a draft considered low on star quality but deep in solid starting-caliber players, the Raiders would have more chances to infuse their roster with much-needed talent.
“We’re excited about the players in a lot of different positions,” general manager John Spytek said last week at his predraft news conference. “And I think the cool thing is they match up with some of where coach and I think that this team can get better.”
Of course, as another league executive indicated Wednesday, an eagerness to trade down is not exclusive to the Raiders.
“Join the club,” the team executive said.
Not Jeanty or bust?
The Raiders have been heavily linked to Jeanty, regarded as one of the draft’s few potential immediate difference-makers. Contemporary football thinking warns against drafting a running back within the first six picks, but Spytek seemed open to the idea.
“I’m going to be careful about talking about any specific player, but more broadly to the running back question, we just saw Saquon Barkley change the Eagles in one year,” Spytek said. “Now they had a great team around him, and it was adding an elite player. And I think when you sit where we sit, the idea is to add elite players at any position. I don’t try to devalue any certain position.”
That said, the list of players being linked to the Raiders continues to grow. That could be a sign of how they feel about Jeanty.
“It tells me they might not be so hot and bothered with Jeanty that they have to have him,” a source said.
Will he be there at No. 6 anyway? There is growing speculation that the Jaguars, who pick fifth, are going to take the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
Not everyone sees it that way, though.
“I still don’t think Jacksonville drafts him,” a team executive said. “And I don’t see anyone trading ahead of them to draft him. So I think he will be there if the Raiders want him.”
First time in charge
This is Spytek’s first time running a draft as a general manager. He provided insight and opinion in previous stops in Denver, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, but now he’s making final decisions, along with coach Pete Carroll and minority owner Tom Brady.
Carroll has been impressed in the short time he and Spytek have been working together.
“He’s gained so much from the people he’s worked with,” Carroll said. “I’m sure they’ve given him latitude, and they’ve utilized his powers and his strengths, because you can just tell he’s very comfortable with the process.
“As we’re growing together, there will be things that we tweak along the way. But I couldn’t be more confident in where he’s coming from, and I think it’s because philosophically, we’re so connected.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
Up next
What: NFL draft
When: 5 p.m. Thursday (first round)
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
TV: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network
Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM), KRLV-AM (920)
Raiders picks: First round (6); second (37); third (68); fourth (108); fifth (143); sixth (180, 213, 215); seventh (222)
