Say what you want about the Oakland Raiders, just don’t call them predictable. While many read the smokescreens and wondered about Jon Gruden and Co. taking a quarterback, they didn’t. They were, for the most part, restrained. The Raiders looked poised to possible jump up or jump all in at the fourth selection and replace Derek Carr. They didn’t. They went defense. While you can be critical of the pick, you can’t be critical of the plan. Sure, Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock may have laid the groundwork for a QB coup in this lame-duck season in Oakland, but they didn’t. 1. Oakland Drafted Need, Not Hype With one season left in the East Bay, the Oakland Raiders drafted to a smart plan. If Gruden is truly disenchanted with Carr, it didn’t show in the draft. When the fourth pick came along, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins was there for the taking. They didn’t bite. Granted, they drafted Clelin Ferrell out of Clemson earlier than needed, but that’s ultimately who Gruden and Mayock wanted, so they took him. The conventional wisdom is Ferrell would have likely been available later in the draft. Most importantly, for Raider Fan, it was a sign the organization was planning on staying the course, not giving in to a whim. 2. Derek Carr Looks To Be The Guy – For Now The quarterback position in Oakland looks to be settled, at least for another season. Perhaps that’s a direct result of newly acquired Antonio Brown. Gruden, who’s not afraid to keep his QB’s ”unsettled”, looks to be settling into a second season looking to see how good Carr can be. That’s a net positive, especially if AB and Carr can find the kind of connection that can light up a scoreboard. Give Gruden credit. For as much as the NFL media loved to sell the Raiders dipping into a lukewarm QB pool in the 2019 NFL Draft, they didn’t. The plan to address absolute need overruled the vanity talking heads like to sell when talking about Gruden. 3. The Raiders Won’t Sell Oakland A Bad Bill Of Goods for 2019 On the way out the door, the Oakland Raiders will be competitive. They won’t win the AFC West, and they won’t likely make the playoffs. But they will be better than 4-12. At least they should be. With Las Vegas still a season away, fans of the Silver and Black should have something good to watch in the East Bay. For those who thought Gruden would completely dismantle the team before heading out of town, you were wrong. Make no bones about it. The betting money is that the Raiders will be better in the coming years. But that isn’t an unreasonable proposition given he plan after Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. For all those who lined up to bash Oakland in 2018, it’s a different tune heading into 2019. The single biggest takeaway from the 2019 NFL Draft is that the Raiders did a pretty good job. They filled needs, stayed away from excess, and are in the process of having a good opening day roster for this coming season. Sorry haters. Gruden did a good job. Which may be the biggest surprise of all.<doc-sep>Every year, there are a handful of players that lose their starting job or roster spot due to an incoming draft class. And with the Oakland Raiders having three first-round picks, this year is certainly no different. Today, we are looking at the three biggest “losers” for the Raiders after the 2019 NFL draft. Let us begin. Safety Karl Joseph Arguably the biggest loser on the Raiders’ roster over the draft weekend was strong safety Karl Joseph. Joseph is entering the fourth year of his career and the Raiders have yet to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract. Instead, it looks like they may be trying to replace him rather than re-signing the former West Virginia safety. With the No. 27 pick, the Raiders selected hard-hitting safety, Johnathan Abram. Like Joseph, Abram is undersized but does his best work near the line of scrimmage. With the team signing veteran Lamarcus Joyner to a big deal this offseason, he and Abram look to be the team’s starting safeties going forward. As of now, it appears Joseph has lost his starting spot and it wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see the team entertain trade offers over the summer. It appears Joseph’s days in Oakland may be numbered.<doc-sep>It’s time to take a look at some of the veteran players on the Raiders’ rosters who benefited from the NFL draft. Some player on the roster improved their situation with over the weekend as the team didn’t select a player at their position. Today, we are taking a look at the three biggest winners on the Raiders from the NFL draft. Shall we begin? QB Derek Carr The biggest draft winner for the Oakland Raiders was easily quarterback Derek Carr. The team passed on Dwayne Haskins and Daniel Lock at No. 4, Drew Lock four different times and did not make a move for Josh Rosen. What this tells you is that the Raiders have the utmost faith in their starting quarterback. They liked Carr better than any other quarterback in this class (outside of maybe Kyler Murray) and want to see him in 2019 with Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, etc. Carr now can play worry-free in 2019 as he knows there isn’t a quarterback on the roster the team will bench in favor of him. Instead, he’s playing for his job in 2020. However, this past weekend was an important win for Carr.<doc-sep>
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Hunter Renfrow #13 of the Clemson Tigers scores a touchdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) The Oakland Raiders brought in a ton of talent via the 2019 NFL Draft, and one media outlet just gave them an “A” grade as a team. After the Oakland Raiders selected Clelin Ferrell at No. 4, you could already hear all the naysayers stating what a terrible pick it was. Josh Allen from Kentucky was still on the board, and was seen by many draft experts as the best edge rusher in the class after Ohio State’s Nick Bosa. However, as time went on in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Raiders kept stocking talent on both sides of the ball, filling need after need. In fact, the Raiders did so well that Mel Kiper Jr. stated they are going to not only win 10 games, but also the AFC West. The rave reviews have come from all over, as NFL.com gave the Raiders a B+, and another media outlet actually gave then an even higher grade. Sayre Bedinger from NFL Mocks recently put out an outstanding NFL Draft review, where he dove into all 32 NFL teams. I highly recommend checking it out, and when it comes to the Raiders, he had great praise for the job Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden did, giving them an “A” grade. It is easy to see why the Raiders deserve such a high grade, as they filled huge holes on the roster, and picked up the best running back, and safety in the draft class. Ferrell at No. 4 was seen as a reach, that is true, but behind Nick Bosa, he fits the Raiders defense better than any other player available at that position group. The bottom line is, the Raiders have improved this roster in a major way this offseason, and even some of their undrafted rookie free agent signings were seen as absolute steals. Mayock and Gruden are building this franchise back up the right way, and you can already see how excited players are to be putting on that Silver and Black.