It's never too early to look ahead to the NFL Draft – and to be honest it's probably one of the best times of the year.
The 2020 NFL Draft will take place in the Raiders' new home of Las Vegas and it's shaping up to be an exciting one for the Silver and Black. On top of being the host city, the Raiders will have a bevy of draft picks once again this year, including two first rounders and three third rounders.
While the 2019 season is still far from over – given the playoffs and the Super Bowl have yet to happen – we're still able to look ahead and get a glimpse of the partial draft order prior to the conclusion of this year.
Below is a table showing the top 20 draft order as of now, but could change in the future if there are trades; let's take a look.
| Pick Number | Team |
|---|---|
| 1. | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2. | Washington Redskins |
| 3. | Detroit Lions |
| 4. | New York Giants |
| 5. | Miami Dolphins |
| 6. | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 7. | Carolina Panthers |
| 8. | Arizona Cardinals |
| 9. | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 10. | Cleveland Browns |
| 11. | New York Jets |
| 12. | Raiders |
| 13. | Indianapolis Colts |
| 14. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 15. | Denver Broncos |
| 16. | Atlanta Falcons |
| 17. | Dallas Cowboys |
| 18. | Pittsburgh Steelers (traded to Miami) |
| 19. | Chicago Bears (traded to Raiders) |
| 20. | Los Angeles Rams (traded to Jacksonville) |
Last year, the Silver and Black had three first round picks, which they turned into Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs, and Johnathan Abram. Ferrell was asked to go above and beyond what was supposed to be his role, Josh Jacobs became a clear candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Johnathan Abram flashed his potential in the regular-season opener.
In addition to the trio of first rounders, Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock assembled a group of draft steals in the later rounds, selecting Trayvon Mullen, Maxx Crosby, Foster Moreau, and Hunter Renfrow all between the second, fourth, and fifth round.
From top to bottom, the 2019 Rookie Class exceeded expectations, and the Raiders have a great group of foundational pieces moving forward. Gruden and Mayock will enter the 2020 NFL Draft with seven picks (two firsts, three thirds, one fourth, and one seventh) and I'm excited to see what they do with them.
