Skip to main content
Raiders.com Website Header
Advertising
Presented By

Raiders Mailbag: How will the offseason fare for the Silver and Black?

Mark Cunningham asks:

"Would it be best to sign an established WR1 than to draft one?"

In my opinion, I would do both.

This is one of the deeper wide receiver classes in recent memory – which means that the Raiders don't necessarily have to swing for the fences on a WR1 with their 22nd pick. A few high-profile receivers' contracts are set to expire this offseason including Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, Mike Williams and dare I say, Derek Carr's old friend from Fresno State, Davante Adams. If the Raiders can land one of these premier receivers in free agency, they could look for potential other complementary receivers to take Day 2 of the draft.

A few worth taking a look at in the draft are Jalen Tolbert from South Alabama, reigning national champion George Pickens from Georgia and Jameson Williams from Alabama – if his torn ACL in the National Championship game causes him to slide. I could see all of these players coming in and making immediate contributions and possibly developing into starters.

Jenni Werth asks:

"What free agent needs do you think we should try for?"

Since we just covered signing a wide receiver, I'll pick another position to cover for this question.

From the looks of things now, the Silver and Black need to look at defensive tackles. The team has three rotational starters in Johnathan Hankins, Quinton Jefferson and Solomon Thomas, but each of the trio's contracts are about to expire. Therefore, if they can't re-sign at least two of these players, they'll need to turn back to free agency to lock up another quality defensive tackle. This will be imperative considering the Raiders will need more help in their run defense in 2022 as well – as they were ranked in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards and touchdowns allowed last season.

Two quality defensive tackles the Raiders could also ponder over in the draft are the All-American duo from Georgia: 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award winner Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt.

Matthew McMillen asks:

"Should the Raiders be concerned if the Broncos take Malik Willis out of Liberty as their future QB? I ask because that's my school's QB. His stock is rising with some mock drafts having him going in the top 10."

Matt, I know you must be proud of your Flames for the recent success they've had. I'm always going to show love to my non-Power Five football programs.

There's arguably no bigger Group of Five prospect in this year's draft than Malik Willis. After transferring to Liberty from Auburn, he passed for over 5,000 yards, 47 touchdowns and won 17 games in two seasons. Additionally, he looked great during Senior Bowl week and could increase his stock even more with a successful NFL Combine showing.

I hate being involved in the world of hypotheticals, but for the sake of this question – Willis could be a problem for not only the Raiders but the entire AFC West if he's selected by the Broncos. He's a very talented, dual-threat quarterback with great size. With experience and improvement to his pass accuracy, he could be a starter in the NFL.

However, who's to say that the Broncos aren't sold on re-signing Teddy Bridgewater as their starting quarterback? Before missing the last three games of the season with a concussion, he threw for over 3,000 yards with a 18:7 touchdown to interception ratio and completed nearly 67 percent of his passes.

What I am sure of is regardless who the Broncos 2022 quarterback is, Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler will have ample of time to build up their defense and prepare for him.

View the top 50 prospects leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, according to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah.

Related Content

Latest Content

Advertising