Raiders 2018 Draft Pick or Pass: Trading down

After finishing the 2017 season with a 6-10 record, the Raiders “earned” the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Due to a talented quarterback class, Oakland is in a position to choose from a bounty of riches with their first round selection.

But rather then staying put at ten overall, might the Silver and Black be better off moving down in the first round and gaining additional picks? The staff at Silver and Black Pride have the answers.

Tyler Green (@TylerGreenSB)

Talk about a tough decision for Reggie McKenzie and Jon Gruden. The idea of trading back and acquiring picks while still ending up with a talented player such as Mike McGlinchey, Maurice Hurst, Derrius Guice, or Josh Jackson is mightily appealing, especially when considering the contract ramifications. This would especially be true if Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson are still on the board as the Raiders would have plenty of potential suitors for their pick including the Chargers, Cardinals, Patriots, and Bills.

Then again, the run on quarterbacks in the top-ten should result in elite talents still being on the board for the Raiders 10th overall selection. If Minkah Fitzpatrick, Roquan Smith, or Vita Vea are still available, I believe Oakland needs to stay at ten and ensure an elite talent will be wearing Silver and Black. Both staying put or trading back are great options and the Raiders are in a fantastic position to be in come Thursday night. But for the sake of choosing one side, I have to go with...

Verdict: Don’t Trade

RDreamer (@RaiderDamus)

Whether or not the Raiders trade down rests on the shoulders of one man, in my mind. That would be Wyoming QB Josh Allen. There is a distinct possibility that Allen goes first overall to the Browns, there is a distinct possibility that he falls out of the top five.

Picture this: The Browns take a quarterback not named Josh Allen first overall, say, Sam Darnold. The Giants take Saquon Barkley. The Jets take Baker Mayfield. The Browns take a defender. Who then will stop Allen’s slide? Who will take Josh Rosen at that point? The Broncos, maybe? Not the Colts, Bears, Bucs or Niners. Unless one of the aforementioned teams trades out first, the Raiders will have a quarterback on the board at Pick 10.

But the Bills want a QB of the future, and so do the Cardinals, Ravens, Steelers and Patriots. The Raiders have a ton of needs, and a trade up for a franchise QB is the most expensive and risky kind of trade up. The Raiders should absolutely look to trade out, and they should ask for the moon. Someone will give it to them.

Verdict: TRADE

BD Williams (@BDWilliams18)

Trading down is literally always a good idea considering how often we see mid-round, late-round, and even undrafted guys become big time players each year. The Raiders certainly possess the draft capital to make this happen with two 5th round picks and four 6th round picks which would likely be a part of any trade back deal.

Nick Hjeltness from Only 1 Nation put out a list of players that fit the criteria from Reggie’s past drafts and it suggests that not all players the media and fans think are first round picks are actually first round picks in Reggie’s war room. With that being said you can throw all that information out the window now that Gruden is in town and his presence makes the Raiders at 10 a significant wild card.

A possible scenario is that Gruden’s top player(s) are off the board early, in which case don’t be surprised if the Bills or another team gets fleeced in exchange for the 10 spot.

Verdict: TRADE

Ryan Lipton (@Rytime98)

Oakland still needs to add depth in multiple areas including tackle, cornerback, inside linebacker and pass rush. Honestly, there isn’t a position in which the Raiders couldn’t use a great player on defense.

Jon Gruden is trying to win now and you can’t check those needs off the list with one pick. This draft also has so many stud defensive players that a few extremely talented prospects will fall into the mid-teens that would have been worthy of the No. 10 overall pick.

Then, the Raiders would hopefully have two picks in the second round to help the tackle position and add another weapon on defense if they chose in addition to the first round selection.

Verdict: TRADE

Levi Damien (@LeviDamien)

The possibility if trading down in this draft has always been an intriguing one. There are sure to be a number of players on the board that teams will be eager to jump up and get but who may not be at a need position for the Raiders Quarterbacks and safeties in particular. Depending on how far, a move down could still put the Raiders in position to get a great talent at a position of need while adding a day two pick in the process.

Verdict: TRADE