Plenty of options for Raiders number 3 overall pick

Those needs are just about everywhere on this team so just about any position that they decide they want to go with they can fill a need. It means that the best player available theory is going to be in full effect, which is exactly the type of drafting that Reggie McKenzie preaches anyway.

The question of who is the best player available is not an easy one to answer but it is the task that the Raiders staff and front office have been officially tasked with. There is definitely plenty of options for them to go with if they stay at number 3, although the best fit for them would be to trade down.

The trade down option was effected by the Matt Flynn acquisition in a positive way though because it takes away a big portion of the predictability of the selection. With the Palmer situation up in the air it made it seem likely that the Raiders were going to go after Geno Smith with the number 3 pick but with that now being solved teams don't have a player that they can say absolutely that is who the Raiders will pick.

The most likely selection at this time seems to be that of Sharrif Floyd who has an outstanding back story for his path up to the draft that gives him the type of character and drive that the Raiders are currently coveting. The reason Floyd took over that position as lead dog though was because of Star Loutelie having failed his combine physical.

New reports have surfaced that Star's heart is performing in the normal ranges for efficiency and that the one failed test was an anomaly. Before the failed physical Star was definitely the better prospect for the Raiders because of his being a pure nose tackle prospect at nearly 30lbs heavier than Floyd. Does this new report that his heart is ok put him back in the lead to be picked by the Raiders at number 3?

Disregard the DT position at number 3 and then you have to look at the CB out of Alabama Dee Milliner. Dee has outstanding coverage skills and is a larger cornerback that is a new trend popping up in the NFL, ala Richard Sherman. He could very well be a shutdown corner and he could come in as the number 1 cornerback for the Raiders from day 1. Awfully hard to pass that option up when you see the way that passing has taken over the NFL and Oakland's lack of starting quality cornerbacks on the roster. Would that be a pick of best player available or a need pick though? It could very well be both.

Moving on from DT and CB brings us to the DE/LB options available for the pick. There are plenty of options there too; Florida State's Bjoern Werner as a top DE prospect reminiscent of JJ Watt with his size and agility, Damontre Moore who has been favorably compared to the LB he replaced at Texas A&M in Von Miller, Jarvis Jones of Georgia who has been a popular idea for his ability to rush from the outside, Ezekiel Ansah out of BYU is intriguing with his natural instincts for the game and combination of speed and athletic ability, and then there is Dion Jordan of Oregon who could be the best pass rusher in the draft.

Any of those players would be decent selections that would help the Raiders defensive line and pathetic pass rush. Oakland is definitely desperate for a difference maker in their pass rush and adding a player that could potentially give the Raiders 10 sacks a year would be a great addition. An impressive pass rusher would also help the secondary by giving the opponent less time in the pocket to pick apart the defense.

Forgetting about the defense all together leads you to who I believe are actually the top picks talent level wise in this draft and those are all along the offensive line. Chance Warmack is an OG out of Alabama, Eric Fisher is an OT out of Central Michigan, and Luke Joeckel is an OT out of Texas A&M. Joeckel is likely to be the top pick in the draft for the Chiefs but that still leaves two outstanding options available in Chance Warmack and Erik Fisher.

No matter what happens ahead of the Raiders in the draft at least one of those 3 players are going to be available for the Raiders to pick at number 3. Any one of them would be strong players to add and very well could be starters along the offensive line for the next decade. You never know who will really be able to perform like they appear capable of but they all give strong odds at being talented starters at the next level.

Adding an OL prospect would really help solidify their line for many years to come considering they already have young talents in Stefon Wisnewski and Jared Veldheer to build around. Its hard not to be excited at thinking of being able to have 3 of the 5 positions on line set for years and the type of consistency that could offer.

At this point nobody has any idea how the draft is going to go but its April now so its coming soon. The Raiders have needs everywhere on their team and will be picking at a spot where almost the entire draft board will be available to them. They have failed miserably time and time again when given this type of opportunity but there is a new staff in charge now so maybe that terrible luck will change.

The one thing we know is that the Raiders can not afford to miss out on this pick. They are doing their due diligence and they are preparing hard to make sure that they don't pick another top 10 bust like so many of their recent picks were. They need to hit on this pick to continue their progress in rebuilding this roster, if they miss on it they will put themselves back yet again.

Hopefully the Raiders can trade back and collect more draft picks which are much needed to form a team that can compete at a high level for years to come. With the Raiders being in a position of utter unpredictability for the number 3 selection they should receive some interest for their pick and if they can move it they certainly will. These last few weeks before the draft are going to be long but hopefully when it is all said and done we will have picked a player that will be a stud for this team for years to come.