Mock Draft: Raiders Continue To Stock Up on Defense in Round Five

In theory, the Las Vegas Raiders defense should be better than what it is. Despite being headlined by top-end talent such as Maxx Crosby and using a high draft pick on Tyree Wilson, their defense is middle of the pack at best and one of the worst in the league when it comes to preventing the other team from scoring.

Their scoring defense was ranked number 25 among all NFL teams last year, just one spot above the Cincinnati Bengals. However, unlike the Bengals, who have an explosive offense to rely on, the Raiders have an offense that's just as, if not more, incompetent, which is why they only won four games last year.

The Raiders invested a lot of their cap space in free agency this offseason towards bolstering their defense by signing Jeremy Chinn from the Washington Commanders, and extending Crosby to a historic extension, but what's stopping their defense from being a disappointment again?

The reason they didn't play up to expectations last year was due to a lot of their star players on defense not being able to stay on the field. Crosby missed some time; his counterpart along the defensive line, Christian Wilkins, only played five games for the Raiders last season.

A way they can ensure their defense remains afloat even if they suffer from injuries is by drafting rookies with a lot of potential, so in the scenario they need to step up, the Raiders can trust their backups to take care of business.

Josh Edwards is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he released a seven-round mock draft, which I've been covering the past couple of days. For the Raiders, he predicted they'd begin with offense, but they'd start to address their defense in the fourth round and continue to do so in the fifth round with their selection of Kyle Kennard.

Kennard spent the majority of his collegiate career with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but transferred to the University of South Carolina for his senior year and had his best season by far. In 2024, he only had 28 total tackles, but had 11.5 sacks, and forced three fumbles as well as defending against one pass.

Kennard would be a quality bench piece for the Raiders' pass rushers, with upside to one day start alongside Wilson and create another duo along the defensive line for the Raiders. Even if he never fully actualizes his full potential, I believe his floor is worthy enough of a day-three pick for the Raiders.

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