2016 NFL Draft: Oakland Raiders Pre-Combine Seven-Round Mock

By Jason Fletcher

At one point in 2015, the Oakland Raiders looked like a potential Wild Card team as new head coach Jack Del Rio did a tremendous job in his first season leading the team to a 7-9 record. With some more progression from Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and the rest of the young offense, the Raiders could be ready to make the playoffs in 2016 with a strong draft.

Here’s a recent seven-round mock I did for the Raiders using FanSpeak’s mock draft simulator.

2016 NFL Draft: Oakland Raiders Pre-Combine Seven-Round Mock

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Round 1, No. 14 Overall: OT Taylor Decker, Ohio State — Starting left tackle Donald Penn is a free agent and so is his backup Khalif Barnes. Drafting Decker in the first round would help ensure that Carr's blindside is protected for years to come.

Round 2, No. 44 Overall: DT Austin Johnson, Penn State — Justin Ellis and Dan Williams started at the two tackle spots for the Raiders in 2015, but Johnson would easily slot in ahead of Williams creating a nasty rotation.

Round 3, No. 75 Overall: OLB Tyler Matakevich, Temple — Matakevich is an interesting prospect as there are some draft experts who don't think he will be taken until the later rounds because of his side. All I'll say to them is turn on the tape and tell me he's not a starter in the NFL.

Round 4, No. 115 Overall: CB Xavien Howard, Baylor — Howard is a big corner at 6-foot-2, and his presence in the Raiders' defensive backfield would help improve a pass defense that ranked No. 26 in the NFL last season.

Round 5, No. 143 Overall: S Sean Davis, Maryland — Charles Woodson retired and backup Taylor Mays is a free agent which makes safety a position of need for the Raiders. Davis could be a nice value pick this late in the draft.

Round 5, No. 154 Overall: DE Bronson Kaufusi, BYU — Kaufusi recorded 30 tackles for loss and 17 sacks between his junior and senior years, and he could be a nice replacement for the retiring Justin Tuck.

Round 6, No. 197 Overall: RB Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech — Running back wouldn't seem to be a position of need with Latavius Murray entrenched as the starter, but there's zero depth behind him. I think Dixon's good enough to start in the NFL, but backing up Murray wouldn't be a bad gig to start off either.

Round 7, No. 232 Overall: G Parker Ehinger, Cincinnati — Starting right guard J'Marcus Webb is a free agent, and while Ehinger wouldn't come in and start, he could help add some depth to a position of need for the Raiders.

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Oakland Raiders

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