With the 2019 NFL draft complete, it is time to look back and gauge how the Oakland Raiders fared. They entered the draft with a plethora of premium picks and the opportunity to significantly improve their roster. Nobody truly knows how this class will grade out for at least three or four years, but it’s worth analyzing now. Every expert has their opinion on every pick, so here are my thoughts. NOTE: The player I would have chosen is based on how the board actually played out. For example, selecting at 1.24 is based on the Raiders selecting Ferrell at 1.4 despite Ferrell not being the player I would have chosen there. 1.4 Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson Ferrell began the draft season as a projected top-five or 10 pick. His star didn’t necessarily fade throughout the draft process, but others seem to catch and pass him as a prospect. He really is a do-it-all defensive end. He is not great in any one aspect of the position, but he’s well above average at everything. Ferrell shows well holding the edge, he can get after the passer, he has a strong arsenal of counter moves, is a smart player who quickly diagnoses plays, and is a true leader. All of that screams “excellent pick.” The problem is that most Raiders fans wanted some flash with this pick. Kentucky EDGE Josh Allen has the athleticism and big-play chops. Ed Oliver has the freakish inside strength and pass-rush ability. Quinnen Williams may have been the best player in the draft. Devin White is one of the best linebacker prospects to enter the league in years. But it may be Ferrell who has the highest floor of this group of potential Raiders targets. The Raiders front office may look back at this pick and view themselves as geniuses or goats. I lean to calling this a good pick but think this may have been a reach. There is a legitimate chance that Ferrell could have been available with their next pick. GRADE: B Player I would have chosen: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky<doc-sep>The Raiders ended up selecting nine players in the 2019 NFL Draft, including three first-round picks. Of those nine, four either played at Alabama or Clemson, including two of the aforementioned first-rounders. It started with Clemson's Clelin Ferrell, who was taken with the No. 4 overall pick and up to that point was the biggest surprise of the draft (that lasted until the Giants took quarterback Daniel Jones two picks later). "At the end of the day, people act like the thought wouldn't occur to me to trade down and still get Cle," Mayock told TheMMQB.com's Albert Breer. "He was our guy, OK? And whether we got him at 4, 8, 10, it didn't matter. He was gonna be our guy. "He's a foundation player," Mayock continued. "And even more importantly, he's a three-down defensive end who can stick his hand in the dirt and play on run downs and pass downs. He's not a guy who's going to be a designated pass-rusher. He's in there on every snap. And he's gonna set the tone for us, as far as these young guys are concerned. I couldn't wait to get to that pick." Look, NFL Draft Twitter may not have been fond of Ferrell going that high but a) the Raiders had to replace Khalil Mack, and b) there's nothing to say that Ferrell won't have a better career than, say, Josh Allen, who went to the Jaguars with the No. 7 pick. Plus, Ferrell went to Clemson. And for Mayock, that proved to be important. Because a week after he was hired, Mayock was at the CFP National Championship Game between Alabama and Clemson and it was there that he got his first in-person glimpse at Ferrell, running back Josh Jacobs (24th pick), cornerback Travyon Mullen (2nd round) and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (fifth round). "I felt it on the field before [that] game, these were the two best college programs in the country and have been for several years now," Mayock recalled. "And when you walk around on the field before the game and watch these guys warm up, and you do your body types, you're taking notes -- they look like two NFL teams. I said it to somebody, I don't remember who, and I remember thinking to myself, 'Man, if you just draft from these two teams, you're gonna do well, forget the rest of the country.' More from Mayock: "I didn't consciously set out to make that happen. But we got more and more impressed with these Clemson kids, as we met them, as people. We loved the Alabama tailback. And it worked out pretty well from our perspective." On paper, the Raiders filled a lot of needs. It will take several years to truly grade this draft class but ultimately, any success or failure will come down to how well Derek Carr plays in his second year under Jon Gruden. But with the additions on defense (Ferrell, Mullen and their other first-rounder, safety Johnathan Abram) and offense (Jacobs, Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, Trent Brown) there's no room for excuses. This team limped to four wins last season and had just six the season before. But the Raiders went 12-4 in '16, in part because Carr was an MVP candidate.<doc-sep>PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Keelan Doss #3 of the UC Davis Aggies catches a pass in front of Paulson Adebo #11 of the Stanford Cardinal during the second quarter of an NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) The Oakland Raiders got a nice haul in the 2019 NFL Draft, and they added even more talent once the seventh round came to an end last month. The Oakland Raiders filled a bunch of holes during the 2019 NFL Draft, including on the edge, where they brought in three new defensive ends. Guys like Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, and Quinton Bell are all solid additions to this defense, which racked up only 13 sacks as a team in 2018. In addition to the defensive ends, Oakland added a solid cornerback in Trayvon Mullen, and the two best players at their position group in running back Josh Jacobs, and safety Johnathan Abram. To round out their draft class, cornerback Isaiah Johnson, wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, and tight end Foster Moreau are also expected to contribute in year one. After the draft ended, general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden got to work bringing in undrafted free agents. Gruden and his coaches coached the North Team at the Senior Bowl, and he brought in some of the elite talent he coached during the team’s win against the South. On Saturday, Rotoworld released a list of the top UDFA classes in the NFL this season, and the Raiders came in at No. 5. Oakland did a great job getting quality talent during the NFL Draft, and their work after the draft netted some special players as well. Linebacker Te’Von Coney from Notre Dame is a tackling machine, and could push for a spot in the linebacker rotation this summer. Fullback Alec Ingold from Wisconsin could unseat Keith Smith as as the starter at the position, and wide receiver Keelan Doss could earn a spot in the wideout rotation in 2019. When you look at the talent they brought in after the 2019 NFL Draft, it is easy to see why the group is ranked so high. There are three players who could not only make the team, but be starters for this Raiders squad in 2019,<doc-sep>Ronald Ollie was on the first season of the popular Netflix series and then transferred to Nicholls State where he played on the defensive line. East Mississippi Community College has another alum it can tout for a successful football career. Ronald Ollie, a former defensive tackle at the JUCO featured during the first two seasons of the Netflix series Last Chance U, has signed a contract with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent. Ollie was not invited to the combine, but at his Pro Day, he ran a 4.87 40-yard dash and showcased a 35-inch vertical leap, both marks that would have been top 10 at his position at the combine. The 6'2", nearly 300-pound television star became a hit among fans during the first season of the Netflix docuseries. He left EMCC following the 2015 season and was with Nicholls State for the 2016 campaign. He then took a year off from football before returning last season, when he tallied five sacks, 12.5 tackles for a loss, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick in 12 games. After going undrafted, Ollie was invited to Oakland's rookie mini-camp where he earned a contract with the team. Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop profiled Ollie and his journey to the NFL ahead of last month's draft.<doc-sep>
Despite the somewhat odd selection at No. 4, the Oakland Raiders have received endless amounts of praise for their 2019 draft haul. By most accounts, they had one of the best drafts. At NFL.com, writer Adam Rank went one step further. In a recent piece discussing who had the best draft, Rank said that Oakland “won” the draft as found quality players throughout the weekend. Take a look at his thoughts on Oakland’s draft from a few weeks ago: The Raiders killed it. What’s funny is that for years, Mike Mayock was regarded as one of the top talent evaluators in the NFL. His yearly conference call was the most anticipated part of draft season, save for the actual draft himself. And while it seemed like the Raiders reached for Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 selection, you should realize that if Mayock were still part of the media, he would have had Ferrell as one of his top defenders — and his draft stock would have risen in response. But credit to Mayock for keeping that close to the pinstriped vest and being able to get his guy. He also rebuilt the Raiders‘ defense with a number of solid picks and even found a successor to Marshawn Lynch when he drafted Josh Jacobs. So have your fun with the Raiders now, because we are going to look back on this draft much differently by this time next year. Or you will; I already know this was a really good draft. If this draft is as good as Rank believes it is, Oakland may not be too far away from completing their rebuild. If players like Ferrell, Jacobs, and Abram can all make an immediate impact, this team could be on the verge of competing for a playoff spot.