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Each year ESPN analyst Mike Clay takes on the exhausting challenge of making team projections for every team in the NFL. Think of it like a mock draft for stats, and it’s definitely an interesting sight to behold.
Clay tweeted out his #ClayProjections for 2018 and this year’s predictions are not the most uplifting in the world for Raider Nation.
2018 Oakland Raiders #ClayProjections ---> Game-by-game predictions, player projections, unit grades + more! pic.twitter.com/KtRHcQEwaO
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) May 8, 2018
Here it is! My first run of 2018 NFL Predictions - Records, point totals, S of S, playoff seeds, 2019 Draft order + more #clayprojections pic.twitter.com/1ahunPG2Yw
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) April 20, 2018
Obviously nobody knows the future so any off-season projections should be taken with a grain of salt, but it is always interesting to note the temperature of the room before the season begins.
Highlights of the projections:
-Khalil Mack is projected to get 10 sacks and 20 tackles for losses and Bruce Irvin projects for 6 sacks and 13 tackles for losses
-Derek Carr projects to have another 4,000 yard season (4,024) and throw twice as many touchdowns (24) to interceptions (12)
-Amari Cooper is projected to pass 1,000 yards for the 3rd time in first 4 years in the league, and 6 touchdowns.
-Offensive line is projected to be ranked in the top 10 (9) and 1st round pick Kolton Miller is predicted to be the starting Right Tackle.
-Raiders defense is slated to rank 2nd in tackles and 9th in production from the edge rushers.
Lowlights of the projections:
-The predictions for Karl Joseph have him getting just 1 interception on the year with 7 passes defensed which would be a very disappointing year for Joseph’s all-important 3rd year in the league.
-Raiders 7.3 win total is ranked 23rd out of the 32 team projections and would leave the Raiders drafting next year with another top 10 pick.
-The offense is projected to finish 18th and the defense is predicted to be 21st leaving the Raiders as the 20th ranked team overall between the two.
-Martavis Bryant only has a projection of 46 receptions for 626 yards and 4 touchdowns for position ranking of 61, which would be an epic letdown for Jon Gruden who has much higher expectations from the sounds of it.
-The Raiders sack production is predicted to stay abysmal with their 31st ranking projection with just 29 on the whole year, but even more disappointing would be just 5 from the recently revamped interior defensive line with P.J. Hall and Maurice Hurst only accounting for 1 sack each on the season.
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