Oakland Raiders Mock Draft 2017
With a majority of the dust having settled from free agency, the Oakland Raiders’ needs have nearly been etched in stone as they enter the 2017 NFL draft.
As such, Raiders Wire aims to fill said needs without moving away from drafting the best player available in our latest seven-round mock draft.
With the premier inside linebackers already off the board, the Raiders take the best player available and address an overlooked need at right tackle in former Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
A consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten in 2016, Ramczyk led all FBS tackles with an 84.6 run-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus. With said efforts, he helped the Badgers rush for 203.1 yards per game, the third-highest total in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (245.23) and Michigan (212.92).
Ramczyk’s stellar 2016 season, however, was the only season in which he faced Division I talent, giving reason to his high-risk, high-reward status.
Prior to his 14-game tenure with Wisconsin, Ramczyk suited up with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Division III) for two seasons. He then transferred to Wisconsin to redshirt in 2015 before seeing the field as a starter last season.
With a majority of the dust having settled from free agency, the Oakland Raiders’ needs have nearly been etched in stone as they enter the 2017 NFL draft. As such, Raiders Wire aims to fill said needs without moving away from drafting the best player available in our latest seven-round mock draft. 24): Ryan Ramczyk, OT Wisconsin. So the Raiders need should draft for speed in the 2017 NFL Draft. The secondary especially needs it to match the Chiefs’ speed outside. Turn the page to see who they should pick as a result.
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At 6-feet, 6-inches, 310 pounds, Ramczyk is a big, physical force capable of anchoring an offensive line at either right or left tackle early in his career if he can carry his Badger dominance into the NFL.
The Oakland Raiders have an excellent foundation with quarterback Derek Carr and reigning defensive player of the year Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack serving as instrumental leaders both on and off of the field.
While both Mack and Carr appear to be all-time talents, it takes far more than two great players to win championships.
NFL Films does a masterful job of incorporating the symphony in their footage. The choice is beyond apropos, as the orchestra needs just as precise of execution in their ensemble as the football team needs from its players.
Oakland Raiders Mock Draft 2017
Analogies aside, that is a fancy way of saying it takes 11 men on each side of the ball to win games. Mack and Carr may end up being the greatest players ever at their respective positions, but if their defense gives up 61 explosive plays again as it did in 2016, they’ll never win a Super Bowl.
As such, Raiders Wire’s mock draft 3.0 is purposefully heavy on a couple of key defensive positions.
The Zach Brown sweepstakes came and went with the Raiders demonstrating they were not interested in spending a lot of money in free agency to secure an interior linebacker. Make no mistake, McKenzie operated in that fashion because he has already pegged at least one inside linebacker in the draft that he feels can do just as good of a job.
Former Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham fits the bill perfectly. Cunningham is a very athletic 6-foot, 3-inch, 234-pound inside linebacker that plays with an edge and regularly delivers crushing hits to his opposition.
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Pro Football Focus has likened Cunningham to Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower, but Cunningham could prove even better against the pass.
Cunningham broke up seven of the 86 passes he was targeted with during his three seasons at Vanderbilt, with just four of the 57 career receptions he allowed going for more than 20 yards.
Tackling too high at times causes Cunningham to miss more tackles than he should, but that’s easy to fix with adequate coaching, and there’s little doubt that the tools Cunningham possesses should make him a Day 1 fit at the heart of the Silver and Black’s defense.