Predicting which 35 players would come off the board before Oakland's selection was nearly impossible. With trades, surprises and just the sheer uncertainty surrounding the draft, a mock that goes beyond the top 10 picks is a ambitious endeavour.
That said, with the draft split into three days, we wake up Friday morning with just three picks before Oakland is once again on the clock — one less than Thursday!!
So who do our staff writers think Oakland takes in Round 2?
Jeff Spiegel — Marqise Lee
With a lot of holes left to fill and a lot of talented players still on the board, I think Oakland could go just about any direction they wanted and still make a solid pick here. The beauty of being the fourth pick is that there are far more than four players that would be a great fit in Oakland, including Derek Carr, Timmy Jernigan, and Louis Nix, but I think Lee could be the pick.
Lots of people had Oakland linked to a wide receiver in Round 1, but when Khalil Mack fell into their lap, he became a no-brainer. The beauty of Lee is that many projected him as a Top-5 pick a year ago and if not for some nagging injuries and the circus around USC, he probably would have remained their this season. If Lee slips past Cleveland (or whoever might trade up ahead of Oakland), I think this would be a slam-dunk.
RDreamer — Derek Carr
It really depends on Houston. If they go with Carr, I think Ra'Shede Hageman or even someone like Marqise Lee could be our pick. But i don't think they go down the Carr road again — I think we do.
Carr put up massive numbers in college against low competition and he is very accurate with a quick release and excels at short to intermediate throws. He crashed and burned in the USC game but the talent disparity across the board was huge. Why knock Carr but not Davante Adams?
Carr is a high character guy and even though he excelled in a spread system his tremendous work ethic and football IQ could make him a viable starter in the future.I think Carr will compare to Alex Smith and Rich Gannon at the NFL level.
Tyler Green — Allen Robinson
By pick #36, I think Derek Carr, Louis Nix III and Marqise Lee will be taken. I also think Xavier Su'a-Filo will fall to the Raiders where he would be a potential option. But I predict that the Raiders take a guy who I feel is a first round talent and very underrated and that is Penn State WR Allen Robinson.
Don't get me wrong, I like Jordan Matthews a lot, but he does not have the potential to become a No. 1 receiver. While Matthews has a higher floor, Robinson has greater potential. I had a former SDSU assistant coach tell me that he likes Robinson over Marqise Lee and that he could end up being "the steal of the draft."
The Raiders got their pass rusher in Khalil Mack, now they need to find an offensive "impact player." Robinson has that capability.
He is lethal after the catch and has excellent vision. Robinson has a great combination of size, hands and body control that allow him to win 50/50 jump balls. He has a 39 inch vertical along with excellent explosion. Robinson has excellent production and finished with over 1,400 yards receiving in 2013. His only weakness is that he does not have great vertical speed (4.6 40-yard dash) and that he is not a great blocker. But there is no question that Allen Robinson is a dangerous weapon with the ball in his hands.
Marcus Allen Krause — Louis Nix
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