NFL Mock Draft: Raiders Lean Towards Defense in First Round

The Las Vegas Raiders have the sixth overall pick in the upcoming draft, and they cannot afford to miss on it. They did an amazing job with their selection of Brock Bowers last year and not reaching for a quarterback despite needing one.

This year, they could establish a small streak of picking correctly in the draft, and their fanbase needs it after a history of their first-rounders not working out for them. I believe this year will be much like last year; they won't be able to snag a quarterback, but they will be able to draft a stud at a different position.

Though their search for their franchise quarterback will probably still keep going, they made sure to go out in free agency and trade for a guy who they feel comfortable with commanding their offense. Geno Smith and Pete Carroll's reunion in Silver and Black will be a fun storyline to monitor next season.

With such a high draft pick, they have an opportunity to draft an offensive playmaker that will shape their offense alongside Bowers for years to come, regardless of who may be throwing them the ball. In this mock draft, they instead opt to add on to their defense.

Joel Klatt is a lead college football analyst who writes for Fox Sports, and he recently published his mock draft. In this mock draft, he thinks the Raiders should select Mason Graham, a defensive lineman prospect from the University of Michigan.

"Adding Graham would bolster an already strong defensive line, putting him with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. That might be the most disruptive defensive line in football with Graham, and you need that to beat Mahomes. I don't think there's been a defensive tackle prospect like him in quite a while, being great against the run and at disrupting blocks", said Klatt.

Graham was born in California, which means drafting him with the Raiders would keep him close to home. It would also mean that he could be mentored by great veterans such as Maxx Crosby or Christian Wilkins, for them to pass the torch to in leading their defense.

As amazing of a pick as this would be for the Raider's defense, I think they should prioritize their offense. They lack a true wide receiver one and have already invested plenty into their defense. They need to secure Smith a big-time pass catcher so that he can operate their offense as smoothly as possible.

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