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The pressure is on for the Raiders. The team that was set to host the 2020 NFL Draft will now have to settle for a virtual affair, while other sports leagues remain on pause. Still, taking away hosting duties might prove to be advantageous, allowing the team — who improved from a 4-12 record in 2018-19 to 7-9 last season in head coach Jon Gruden’s second year — to focus on the matter at hand and have a successful draft.
The 2019 draft class played a part in helping the team to improve and a follow up performance tonight could mean big things for the future of the team in a new city.
It also helps that while the Raiders have seven picks, they’re concentrated toward the beginning of the draft, with two picks in the first round and three selections in the third round. The team’s first selection will come at 12th overall.
Here’s every Raiders pick in the 2020 NFL Draft:
Raiders Draft 2020
| Round | Selection |
|---|---|
| Round | Selection |
| 1 | 12 |
| 1 | 19 (from Bears) |
| 3 | 80 |
| 3 | 81 (from Bears) |
| 3 | 91 (from Seahawks via Texans) |
| 4 | 121 |
| 5 | 159 |
Selections 19 and 81 overall both come by way of the Chicago Bears, the final remnants of the Khalil Mack trade in September of 2018 that saw the two teams also exchange a handful of picks.
As for pick 91, the Raiders acquired it from the Houston Texans in exchange for cornerback Gareon Conley, once a first-round pick himself in 2017. The pick initially belonged to the Seattle Seahawks, who sent it to Texas with outside linebackers Jacob Martin and Barkevious Mingo in exchange for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Round 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft airs tonight at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. For more on how to watch, check out our viewers’ guide here.
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