Raiders final 2019 draft GPA: 3.47

When we dropped our midseason draft GPA story on Nov. 4, the Raiders fared pretty well with a 3.10. But it was really in the second half of the season that the rookies started to turn it up.

These grades are based on player performance relative to their draft position, with projected future impact factored in. While Johnathan Abram gets an incomplete grade since he was only able to play in one game, all of the other Raider draft picks player enough to be graded.

Round 1, No. 4 overall: Clelin Ferrell

Grade: C+

Ferrell showed a lot of promise as the season wore on, but at this point we kind of know the type of player he is, and it is questionable whether that was worth the No. 4 overall pick.

Ferrell is a technique sound, disciplined 2-gap edge who lines up in the 5- and 6-tech spots for the Raiders. The Raiders tried to have him kick inside to the 3-tech spot in pass rushing situations, but he never found an effective pass rushing role unless he was playing against the Chargers (3.5 of his 4.5 sacks came against them).

By season’s end, Ferrell was only playing around 50 percent of snaps, coming off the field on most pass rushing downs.

This grade is a C+ because Ferrell showed some promise in his pass rush development. But there’s no debating the fact that No. 4 still looks like a reach as of this writing.

Round 1, No. 24 overall: Josh Jacobs

Grade: A

What more can we say about the presumed Offensive Rookie of the Year that we haven’t written this season?

Jacobs would’ve finished with one of the best Raider rushing seasons of all time had he played a full 16 games. The fact that he muscled through the pain of a fractured shoulder shows the rest of the team just how dedicated and tough he really is.

While No. 24 was thought to be early for a running back, Jacobs proved well worth it.

Round 1, No. 27 overall: Johnathan Abram

Grade: N/A

C’est la vie.

Round 2, No. 40 overall: Trayvon Mullen

Grade: A

When our midseason grades were published, Mullen had just been elevated to the starting lineup after the Gareon Conley trade.

In the weeks after that, the No. 40 overall pick stepped up and became a full on force. He’s got a rare mix of press coverage physicality, off coverage fluidity, and ball hawking prowess.

Mullen proved his toughness as well. After being wheeled off the field with a scary neck injury in Week 16, he suited up in Week 17 and didn’t miss a beat.

Mullen should be a fixture in the Raiders secondary for years and deserves an A here.

Round 4, No. 106 overall: Maxx Crosby

Grade: A

If I could give an A+ under the college grading scale, I would for do it for Crosby.

He was the best value pick in the draft, and is eliciting comparisons to Nick Bosa and Khalil Mack that inspired me to compare the three yesterday.

Crosby has a serious case for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and while he may not overtake Bosa for the award, it’s shocking to see how quickly he’s grown from hard-working project to burgeoning star.

Round 4, No. 129 overall: Isaiah Johnson

Grade: C

Johnson had an incomplete grade during our midseason grades, as he spent most of the year on IR. But at this point I’ve seen him play enough to dish out a grade.

Johnson was expected to be a project, so this grade admittedly could look foolish in a year or two, but at this point I don’t expect him to grow into a full-time starter. He was often left inactive, with the Raiders opting to give snaps to Nevin Lawson, Keisean Nixon, and even Nick Nelson over him.

Johnson looked good as a gunner to me on the punt team, but his stay there was short lived. He might be fighting for a roster spot at training camp this summer.

Round 4, No. 137 overall: Foster Moreau

Grade: A

Moreau didn’t finish the season, but he looked like a red zone force and played the perfect compliment to Darren Waller while healthy.

Moreau had 5 touchdowns on just 21 catches, and his efficiency was such that he placed No. 3 in receiving DVOA among tight ends in 2019.

When the Raiders lost Moreau, the red zone offense looked out of sorts. That doesn’t speak well of the offensive scheme or the rest of the team’s weapons, but it definitely sheds a bight light on Moreau. He and Waller could be the league’s premier tight end duo for years to come.

Round 5, No. 149 overall: Hunter Renfrow

Grade: A

Renfrow turned it up in the season’s latter half and is the fifth ‘A’ selection in the draft.

The fact that some people in the S&BP community have started to jokingly suggest that “this is Renfrow’s team,” tells you about all you need to know regarding this kid’s impact on the offense.

Renfrow and Derek Carr have an awesome connection that should only grow over the offseason. While Renfrow won’t ever grow into a top tier, All-Pro level receiver due to his physical limitations, he was tied for No. 2 in the entire NFL with 3.5 yards of separation on average, per ESPN’s Next Gen Stats.

He’s already producing at a high level and will be the Raiders’ starting slot, and more importantly Carr’s safety valve, going forward.

Round 7, No. 230 overall: Quinton Bell

Grade: N/A

Giving Bell a poor grade here would throw off the draft GPA, and it’s hard to even tell what the Raiders had in the project player.

He was cut from the practice squad, then re-signed, then cut again during the season. To end the season, he found himself on Tampa Bay’s practice squad. Bell was always going to be a lottery ticket, but the Raiders are no longer the one’s overseeing his development.

Overall Draft GPA: 3.47