The Oakland Raiders haven't yet made the splash in free agency that many members of the Raider Nation were looing for, but winning teams are both made and broken through draft strategy. With a stellar 2015 NFL Draft class, the Raiders can take some major steps back towards contending. However, drafting the wrong players could very well send them spiraling in the opposite direction. Here’s 3 Players The Raiders Need To Avoid In The 2015 NFL Draft.
WR Kevin White, West Virginia
We're not writing off White by any stretch. In fact, we don't necessarily think the Raiders need to avoid him if circumstances happen differently than expected. However, if both Alabama WR Amari Cooper and Kevin White are on the board and the Raiders are really looking wide receiver with their #4 pick, Oakland should give their fans the thrill they deserve by swinging for the fences with the more pro-ready home-run threat in Cooper over the "safer" long-term option in White.
DE Shane Ray, Missouri
Reaching for Ray at #4, even if Leonard Williams (or Randy Gregory) is off the board, doesn't make sense in this draft. Ray's aggressiveness plays to his detriment sometimes, and he's figuring out his arsenal of pass-rush moves and how to stay fully engaged against the run. If there's ever a draft where the Raiders should be looking for the best available talent rather than a positional need 6-7 spots ahead of projection, it' s this one.
Unless...the Raiders trade down into the late teens, early 20s (*cough* Eagles *cough). Ray would make sense in that range if he's still around.
CB Marcus Peters, Washington
Even if the admittedly talented Peters falls to the second round due to character concerns, the Raiders would be better served looking at someone like Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson or to another position of need rather than risking a pick on a player who was dismissed from the Huskies on November 6th after repeated clashes with the program's coaching staff.
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