Where does the new head coach start? Will McKenzie continue his streak of relatively successful drafts?
When taking an overview of the prospects available in 2015, there are some positions the Raiders must address right away and others that can be addressed later in the draft with the depth at certain positions.
Generally, McKenzie has to be aggressive with his picks on defense with the exception of picking up an edge-rusher.
Derek Carr needs some talented skill players around him, but the wide receiver class is deep. Furthermore, none of the running backs are worthy of a first-round pick in Oakland’s case.
Defensive End
The fastest way to build a solid defense in today’s NFL is in the trenches. Oakland is in desperate need of pass-rushers. C.J. Wilson will become a free agent and veteran Justin Tuck only recorded five sacks in 2014.
This draft has the depth that will allow the Raiders to load up on defensive linemen capable of tracking down Alex Smith or devouring stationary quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers.
McKenzie and co. have plenty of options here. Randy Gregory and Shane Ray are the most notable. Ray is the better pure pass-rusher and has spent more time playing the position on the college level. Gregory is a bit taller than Ray and his leaner frame makes him susceptible to being pushed backwards when engaged in blocks, per Dane Brugler and Rob Rang.
The Nebraska defensive end will have to work on his leverage to compete against bigger and stronger offensive linemen similar to King Dunlap of the San Diego Chargers or Orlando Franklin of the Denver Bro...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
