Would the Raiders Re-Do the 2014 Draft If Possible?

The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled in the NFL Draft over the last decade or so, but 2014 was different.

Dec 3, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) is introduced before the start of the game against the New York Giants at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Raiders had the fifth pick in the NFL Draft and selected Khalil Mack. Most would agree that was a strong selection, as Mack developed into one of the best pass rushers in the league during his prime. Still, Pro Football Focus believes another player would have been a solid pick as well.

Ironically enough, in PFF's redraft of the 2014 NFL Draft, they have the Raiders selecting Davante Adams, their former star wide receiver.

"A second Fresno State Bulldog finds his way into the top five of this redraft. Adams ironically spent his past three seasons with the Raiders and will now spend his prime with the Silver and Black in this scenario," PFF said.

"From 2018 to 2022, Adams was both the highest-graded (94.2) and most valuable wide receiver in the NFL, according to PFF WAR."

Usually, redrafts are hypothetical, and while the Raiders did not draft Adams, they had him on the roster for years before a bad breakup sent the player and the team their separate ways.

Adams is on his second team since leaving the Raiders early last season. However, he has made multiple comments shedding light on his time with the Raiders and his thoughts about things that happened during that time. He explained why he wanted out.

“If I was Scooby-Doo, I would’ve went, ‘Urrrrrrrrrrr?’ Like, you literally brought me here, you knew the reason why … me going there for Derek [Carr]; everybody in the world knew that. And then to be in a situation where now you just pull him from me after we had a very productive year? That was the first kind of confused moment that I had," Adams said to Mike Silver.

“And then things continued that next year … obviously what they decided to do and some of the moves they decided to make on offense. And things continued the next year again. (Initially), I was trying to feel good about it, more than actually what I was presented with — just the facts of who’s the head coach, who’s my receiver coach, who is the offensive coordinator, who’s calling plays, what the defense looks like, all that stuff."

Now with the Los Angeles Rams, Adams feels like he is in the right place for this point in his storied career. He has a shot to play in a Super Bowl before retiring.

"I feel like this is what I needed just based off the vibe and the aura of the building. And everybody's in a good mood. It's not like a dark cloud over the building. And I've experienced that quite a bit over the last few years. So, it's a glaring difference when you come into a building like this," Adams recently said.

"It's just about ball. It's no other B.S. And [they've] got a really good quarterback in here."

Adams starting his career with the Raiders may have changed the ending between the two, but the Raiders still walked away from the 2014 NFL Draft with one of the best players available.

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