In just over three weeks, the 2017 NFL Draft will kick off in Philadelphia.
The three-day event, which will be held at Philadelphia City Hall is one of the more exciting stretches of the offseason, and is the next banner event on the NFL schedule.
With the proximity to the Draft, mock drafts around the web are being updated, so let's take a look at this week's edition of the Mock Draft Tracker to see what the experts think the Oakland Raiders will do at No. 24 overall.
Bleacher Report
Expert | Brad Gagnon
Previous Selection:N/A
Breakdown:The Oakland Raiders have two premier outside rushers in Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin, but the rest of their front seven is a tad soft. They're also down two linebackers—Malcolm Smith, who left in free agency; and Perry Riley, who remains unsigned—who played a combined 1,558 snaps last season, according to PFF.
They need a rangy tackle machine who can help a top-heavy defense that allowed five 100-yard rushers and 4.5 yards per carry in 2016.
They need Cunningham, a two-time first-team All-SEC linebacker who had 36 tackles for loss during his three seasons at Vanderbilt. Cunningham needs to work on his tackling and won't overpower opponents, but he's a three-down linebacker with sideline-to-sideline range who has plenty of room to get better. And he can also contribute in coverage, which is the kind of versatility general manager Reggie McKenzie desires.
The Raiders would probably be cool with a linebacker like Temple's Haason Reddick or a cornerback like Tre'Davious White, Kevin King, Jackson or Tabor in this spot, but Cunningham makes the most sense.
CBS Sports
Expert | Will Brinson
Previous Selection:David Njoku, TE, Miami
Breakdown:Let's assume the Raiders bring Marshawn Lynch out of retirement to be their feature back. They still need some more talent at the position and McCaffrey would be a perfect complement to Lynch. He would also be a popular pick with the fan base, which shouldn't be overlooked at this point.
Expert | Dane Brugler
Previous Selection:Zach Cunningham, OLB, Vanderbilt
Breakdown:The Raiders could use a tough, rangy linebacker and Cunningham fits the bill with his ball awareness, play speed and length to keep himself free from blocks.
Expert | Pete Prisco
Previous Selection:Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
Breakdown:Their corner play needs upgrading, so landing Humphrey makes sense.
Expert | Rob Rang
Selection: Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
Breakdown:The Raiders' rise to the playoffs is directly attributable to its explosive offense but if the club is to take the next step -- and remain a consistent postseason threat -- help must be on the way for a defense that surrendered an average of 375 yards per game, 26th in the NFL. In his postseason wrap-up, Jack Del Rio stressed the need to create more of disruption on the interior, which is exactly what the 6-5, 285 pound McDowell does best.
ESPN
Expert | Mel Kiper, Jr.
Previous Selection:Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
Breakdown:In a great class of cornerbacks, King stands out for his size (6-3, 200), and the 4.43 40 at the combine moved him up my board (No. 4 corner). After taking safety Karl Joseph on Day 1 last year, the Raiders are still trying to improve their secondary. Corner is a gaping hole headed into the draft.
Expert | Todd McShay
Previous Selection:Kevin King, CB, Washington
Breakdown:Linebacker is another gaping hole in Oakland. The Raiders need better athletes in the second level. Davis is a Kwon Alexander-type, an explosive linebacker with sideline-to-sideline range in the running game and a relentless motor.
FOX Sports
Expert |Dieter Kurtenbach
Previous Selection:Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
Breakdown:The Raiders need help at linebacker and safety. Peppers plays both spots, and his unparalleled athleticism will have the Raiders jumping over the Inner Harbor with this selection.
MMQB
Expert | Emily Kaplan
Previous Selection:Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
Breakdown:The Temple product was the talk of the Senior Bowl and followed that up with a dominant combine. In Mobile, Reddick switched seamlessly from outside linebacker to inside linebacker in drills.
NFL.com
Expert | Bucky Brooks
Previous Selection:Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
Breakdown:The Raiders need a corner but could opt to take a big, physical tackle to groom for a bigger role down the line.
Expert | Charley Casserly
Previous Selection:Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
Breakdown:Cunningham is an instinctive, athletic linebacker who can play all three downs.
Expert | Daniel Jeremiah
Previous Selection:John Ross, WR, Washington
Breakdown:Davis is one of the cleaner players in the draft. He has an ideal blend of size, speed, and instincts.
Expert | Lance Zierlein
Previous Selection:Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
Breakdown:Another size-speed cornerback for the Raiders, but he's also an exceptionally aggressive run supporter who sets the tone like a safety.
Pro Football Focus
Expert | Steve Palazzolo
Previous Selection:Zach Cunningham, OLB, Vanderbilt
Breakdown:Perhaps a surprising drop for Fournette, but given the questions about his ability to affect the game on passing downs, this may be a better representation of his value. He goes to a perfect situation in Oakland where he fits into their downhill run game behind one of the league's best offensive lines, and if he can regain his 2015 form when he led the nation with 83 forced missed tackles, this becomes one of the steals of the draft.
The Ringer
Expert | Danny Kelly
Previous Selection:Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
Breakdown:King would've be a dream target for the late Al Davis: a physical press cornerback with elite size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and speed. It just so happens that current Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie also values those traits. King boosted his stock into the first round with an electric combine performance, running the 40 in 4.43 seconds while adding a 39.5-inch vertical jump, a 6.56-second three-cone, and a 3.89-second short shuttle to put himself in the 99th percentile for NFL corners. He'd challenge David Amerson for the starting job opposite Sean Smith from day one, with the goal of his taking over for Smith in the long term.
SB Nation
Expert | Dan Kadar
Previous Selection:Zach Cunningham, MLB, Vanderbilt
Breakdown:N/A
Sporting News
Expert | Eric Galko
Previous Selection:Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Breakdown:The Raiders are set at one edge with Khalil Mack, but they need more disruption up front in order to build a more effective overall pass rush. McDowell is a big body who can mix it up on his way to quarterbacks' faces.
WalterFootball.com
Expert | Charlie Campbell
Previous Selection:Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
Breakdown:The Raiders could use an upgrade at middle linebacker. Here's a riser who would appeal to Reggie McKenzie. Davis is an instant plug-and-play contributor who has great leadership traits that fit with other McKenzie selections like Khalil Mack and Derek Carr.
Davis collected 60 tackles, two sacks and four passes broken up in 2016. Davis was a strong inside presence who made a ton of clutch tackles for Florida in 2015. He was an unsung hero of one of the best defenses in the nation and was a beast who season in the SEC Championship along with the other late-season games against elite competition. In 2015, Davis totaled 98 tackles with 11 tackles for a loss, four passes broken up, an interception and 3.5 sacks.
The 6-foot-1, 238-pounder is fast, physical and instinctive. He has sideline-to-sideline speed with the athleticism to be a three-down defender. Davis could be a Mike (middle) or a Will (weakside) linebacker in a 4-3. He also could function on the inside of a 3-4.
