The Oakland Raiders are on an upswing and are finally looking to make a run to the top of the AFC West for their first postseason appearance since they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. That was over 13 years ago, and since that point the team has been the laughing stock of the league.

Oakland finally has their franchise quarterback and they’re building a talented roster around him. Despite a 7-9 finish in 2015, it’s clear Derek Carr is leading them in the right direction.

The Raiders have fewer glaring holes than they’ve had in a long time, but they still had areas to address. They filled a void in the first round when they selected West Virginia safety Karl Joseph with the 14th overall pick. It was a quality pick and one that will strengthen their defense.

Safety wasn’t the only need they had in the secondary, and they failed to address the other need. Mackensie Alexander, Kendall Fuller and KeiVarae Russell were all available to fill Oakland’s void at cornerback in the second round, but the Raiders passed and instead took defensive ends (Jihad Ward and Shilique Calhoun) in consecutive rounds.

Oakland added Sean Smith through free agency and he should certainly help the unit. But beyond him and David Amerson, there isn’t much cornerback talent on the roster. D.J. Hayden has promise but hasn’t yet become what they had hoped when they took him 12th overall three years ago.

Quarterback Connor Cook would’ve been a quality pickup for Oakland had they not traded up to get him. He fell to the fourth round and if he would’ve made it to them, I could see the logic in strengthening the depth at the position. Carr is their guy, though so there really wasn’t a need there, especially with a serviceable backup like Matt McGloin.

The Raiders’ final three picks were running back DeAndre Washington, linebacker Cory James and guard Vadal Alexander. There’s a lot of potential value there, but they could’ve used one of their mid-late round picks to fill a glaring need. Overall, their draft grade is a B- at best. Joseph should be a strong pick and they added some talent, but when you avoid an area of need for the second year in a row, a middle-of-the-pack draft grade is the best you’ll get.