Post draft thoughts/breakdown

Langlier

Langlier

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Conley - as long as the rape thing goes away quickly - Good value where he was taken. Need - eh we needed a 3rd CB but this is more of a future plan that can work out for nickel coverage. Highly skilled player that still needs some coaching - but if he takes to the coaching he has a solid high ceiling. Even "right now" he's a better player then DJ Hayden ever was.

Obi - Super freak at S. Corner speed, small linebacker size, Calvin Johnson leaping ability, He jumped about a foot farther then the next highest safety. He might be the most special specimen in this draft. That said he didn't play up to his ability in college - not saying he was bad - just that with his measurables he could have had more impact. Rod gets a big wad of clay. If Rod can instill 1/4 of the mentality he had as a player - we have something special here. Need - as a TE coverage guy - huge. Value - lots of people had borderline first round grades on him, didnt see a mock where he lasted until the third. Good value. He upgrades Nate Allen significantly. Future starter with KuJo.

Vandy - Big guy that slimmed down and looked motivated after the season. Looked good previous to this season - like first round good. The Dan Williams comparisons are apt. No motivation issues. Injury questions ok. weight fluctuations could be a huge issue. Need - fills a huge one with a big body. Value - right around where he was pegged for this draft. Some had him a little higher. Some had him a lot lower. OK value.

Sharpe - Moar beef for Tice. Where does he play? Many 'niks think he is an interior guy in the pros. Looks like a slightly cleaner prospect then Vadal was last year. Lots to like but need to see (eye joke?) a lot more of him. Off the bus type guy. Need - not nearly as big as LB which I felt was needed here, but we do have to plan for post Howard/post Penn. If he can push Newhouse off the roster I'm a happy guy. Value - most mocks i saw had him firmly in the third. Getting him bottom of 4 is solid.

Lee - I'm so underwhelmed at this point. 2 down LB. Not a power guy. Not a speed guy. Not a coverage guy. Very solid leadership and college career. Can pass rush from interior. your less then ideal 2nd ILB in a 3-4. Is our biggest ILB option which may score him a role. Need - huge. Value - we took him at the highest point i saw him in mocks. Mostly he was a 6-7 guy. So Poor.

Luani - Reggie sees a playmaking SS/STer. I see a big hitter who cant tackle and isn't athletic enough for the NFL. If we add another vet safety I dont see him on the roster.

Ware - small school swing tackle. lots of athleticism. dominated small school. your perfect late round gamble. If we give him the king treatment and IR him or just sit him on the PS for a year we might have something. Maybe sooner if he shows he can handle NFL talent. best pick of the 7th round

Hood - nearly had him in lil al pre-lynch. purely short yardage runner in the nfl. no wiggle. not enough speed. worth a spot as an "emergency" rb.

Hester - 3-tech DT. limited athlete but might provide a good depth body. can contribute relatively soon. Low ceiling. Not an "exciting" pick.

Very disappointed that we didn't come away with a stud LB prospect when we had multiple shots at them. Lee isn't good enough. We need to resign Riley at a minimum (or Levy or make a move for a vet). That said our future secondary looks very solid. Conley is about the perfect fit for the "seattle" secondary. Obi fills a huge need now and his role can grow as he learns. Vandy is a good reclamation project. Sharpe fits our mold of OL. First 4 picks - all have a role early. Lee might based on lack of options. while no one is a day 1 "starter" - with how much nickel we play Obi and Conley might as well be.

We still have big holes for interior pass rush and LB. Ward developing, MEJ returning to health and Vandy might "solve" the interior pass rush issues. If we get Aldon back we can shift Bruce inside and suddenly we are OK there too. But thats a lot of "if". We filled out our depth quite well in other places. Thats something good teams do with the draft. we are a good team again. we added 2 potentially "special" players. Considering where our secondary was the year previous to last... thats coming a long ways.
 
First two picks were home runs; grand slams from my perspective. Unfortunately, don't have high hopes for the rest of the draft... and disappointing as there were several players that looked like they could contribute.
 
RaiderJF said:
First two picks were home runs; grand slams from my perspective. Unfortunately, don't have high hopes for the rest of the draft... and disappointing as there were several players that looked like they could contribute.
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I like them quite a bit. I'm not disappointed in adding 650-700 lbs of #BEEF in rounds 3 and 4. The first time Vandy shoves Lamp into Rivers - I'll be happy as hell.
 
RaiderJF said:
First two picks were home runs; grand slams from my perspective. Unfortunately, don't have high hopes for the rest of the draft... and disappointing as there were several players that looked like they could contribute.
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About the same pov honestly.

I would have taken a risk on Foster and his injuries over Conley and the rape thing given what I knew on draft night.

I like Sharpe more than most and Vanderdoes way less than most here.
 
Seriously, I have no idea.

I hate Lee but the rest I either liked (Conley, Vanderdoes) or just don't have an opinion. Looking forward to seeing these guys on the field.
 
Conley - Really like this pick once Davis was taken by Detroit- There simply were no LB's on the same talent level as Conley there at 24- It's a premium pick, he's a good solid corner with pro bowl potential- I'm real good with this pick- Assuming he's cleared-

A+

Obi - Safety was exactly what I wanted in rd 2. Bucs took Evans at 18 and I was hoping for Josh Jones who went a couple picks later to the Packers- After hearing JDR's post day 2 draft conference and him actually mentioning us struggling against TE's and why they drafted Obi this made me feel real good about the pick- Hard to say who will go on to have the better career, Jones or Obi- But for his ability to cover TE's this makes me feel a whole lot better come sundays- His tackling concerns me a little tho' Not the punsiher Jones is but I'll take coverage skills over tackling skills for right now - We been walking around with TE dicks in our ass for too long now-

A

Vanderdoes- I was really hoping for someone like Beckwith here. If Vanderdoes learns when to put a fuckin fork down this might not be that bad. I thought Riley played pretty good- Not sure what the expectations are of a KNJ/Seattle MLB is, maybe they feel they have they outside speed at backer and a lot of the problems we saw last year was the fault of the DL and backend and not so much the MLB. I can only hope they're right but with a GM and HC- Two former LB's that keep ignoring that position they must think the problems we had were not as much of the MLB faults as we all think it was- I dunno

C

Every pick from the 4th on I consider a roll of the dice- Every year we scream about players we should pick in these rds and every year we forget all about them by December and we rinse and repeat the following draft- If Sharpe turns into a decent RT- I'm good - If he can produce at a high level at LT even better- My money says he's an okay RT- But thats about the best I can see

Maybe one of these late rd picks turn into a gem and we nail it- I hope so- I just don't expect it- But will love it if it happens-

All in all not bad- Coulda been a little better but like everyone says- Ya can't grade a draft till 2 years later-

Grade- Solid B
 
Conley- C+(Guy needs to prove he can handle the slot)
Obi-C(if you can coach the position, he has a future in the pro bowl down the road. If not he's a waste)
Vanderdoes-C(define gamble, but man is this fucka's ceiling high. I mean it's Richard Seymour in his prime high. I'd fuck up myself seeing that and get him in the 2nd round Al Davis style.)
Sharpe-B(I think Tice can get a lot out of him)
Lee-D(Red'd LB drafting is crazy bad and he's a LB. WTF?)
Shuani-C+(has a future in special teams and as an extra safety)
Ware-Inc.(need to see what he does with his athleticism)
Hood-B(low round pick who can fill a legit role well, good pick and may convert into a two position guy as short yardage and fullback).
Hester-C- meh
 
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RaiderJF said:
First two picks were home runs; grand slams from my perspective. Unfortunately, don't have high hopes for the rest of the draft... and disappointing as there were several players that looked like they could contribute.
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I would agree about the first two rounds but I think our third rounder could turn into something great IF he stays motivated
 
RaiderJF said:
First two picks were home runs; grand slams from my perspective. Unfortunately, don't have high hopes for the rest of the draft... and disappointing as there were several players that looked like they could contribute.
Click to expand...
That's why I like the redraft exercise. It's a lot harder than you think (or I appreciate while watching TV bitchin and moanin). You realize, fuck, there ain't shit left at DT if I don't take Vandy or Jaleel here. And if I pass on Watt or Cunningham, I'm left with Griffin or Elder at CB or I miss out on a safety altogether or I'm stuck with that little fuck Blair at MLB. Actually didn't like what was left in the 4th and 5th rounds in terms of alternatives.
 
Raidermania12 said:
Conley- C+(Guy needs to prove he can handle the slot)
Obi-C(if you can coach the position, he has a future in the pro bowl down the road. If not he's a waste)
Vanderdoes-C(define gamble, but man is this fucka's ceiling high. I mean it's Richard Seymour in his prime high. I'd fuck up myself seeing that and get him in the 2nd round Al Davis style.)
Sharpe-B(I think Tice can get a lot out of him)
Lee-D(Red'd LB drafting is crazy bad and he's a LB. WTF?)
Shuani-C+(has a future in special teams and as an extra safety)
Ware-Inc.(need to see what he does with his athleticism)
Hood-B(low round pick who can fill a legit role well, good pick and may convert into a two position guy as short yardage and fullback).
Hester-C- meh
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:nono:

http://www.blackreign.net/raidernat...money-where-your-mouth-is-2017-edition.10751/
 
I think a C is about right. Just a lot of question marks here as Red rolls the dice again. He did strengthen the secondary and added a rotational piece or two to the DL. But did nothing whatsoever to bolster the LB corp.
 
Draft grades


Pete Prisco
Oakland Raiders

There was some risk in them taking Ohio State corner Gareon Conley in the first round with his legal situation pending, but he is a top talent and could pay off big. The next three picks could also be big-time steals. Second-round safety Obi Melifonwu had first-round talent, and if UCLA defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes can keep his weight in check he will be a good player. They needed some help up front, so he made sense.

Grade: B-

Mel Kiper

Oakland Raiders: C
Top needs: Cornerback, defensive line, running back

This is obviously a really difficult class to be assessing, given all that was swirling around Gareon Conley going into the draft, and without much time to gather information. I really just need to remove him from the equation here. On ability, he's a top-15 player, and the Raiders obviously feel comfortable with what they know of his off-field situation. But that situation really transcends a discussion of player value. I do think the Raiders could have taken a few other players in that spot and felt good about it.

After that, this draft stacks up as just OK for me in terms of overall value. Obi Melifonwu is arguably one of the top handful of athletes in the entire draft, but the tape doesn't quite live up to the combine marks. That said, he has a lot of experience and hits a position of need in the secondary. Eddie Vanderdoes in Round 3 is kind of a puzzler. The pedigree is there going back to high school, but he simply didn't perform like a third-rounder, and so you have the Raiders taking my No. 159-ranked player at No. 88 overall. He has ability, I just think he would've been there later.


David Sharpe provides depth along the offensive line, but I had Marquel Lee as a bit of a reach (though he could be good on special teams early), and Elijah Hood provides some short-yardage insurance if the Marshawn Lynch comeback tour isn't all it's cracked up to be. Shalom Luani has a chance to stick. The Conley situation clouds this, and I would have liked for them to get an inside linebacker.

SB Nation

Oakland Raiders
The Raiders were another team that came into the draft needing to fix their secondary, and they did so with their first two picks. First-round pick Gareon Conley surprised many because of his current ongoing legal issue. But if he’s in the clear, the placement fits the value. Safety Obi Melifonwu is a classic Raiders pick in that he’s a big athlete. Melifonwu has excellent range for a safety and was productive at Connecticut.

After those two, it’s hard to see immediate help from this draft class. Defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes once had the potential of a first-round pick, but because of injuries and stamina issues, he dropped to the third round. If the Raiders can keep a fire lit under him, he could help the run defense in a big way. Offensive tackle David Sharpe, the team’s fourth-round pick, is a good fit in the system.

Grade: B-

Sports Illustrated

B-

A very speculative group for a team that’s not many pieces away from getting over the top. CB Gareon Conley is a potential bargain at pick No. 24, but he’s dealing with a rape allegation—no telling how or when that situation is resolved, officially. Obi Melifonwu (No. 56) had Round 1 buzz, and he definitely has a high ceiling in pairing with Karl Joseph at safety, but he’s a lot more raw than the hype on him indicated. DT Eddie Vanderdoes (No. 88): injured often in college. OT David Sharpe (No. 129): a huge physical presence, with little else to offer right now. How many of these players will provide a huge impact, either next year or in the near future?
 
How does Red's draft tract the Slaytics (Freak) Report? Well, such metrics seem to matter on Day 1 and Day 2, but has no bearing on Day 3:

Conley, CB: #6 (87.6%) (blue)
Obi, S: #1 (99.1%) (blue)
Vandy, DL: #3 (62.2%) (green)
Sharpe, OT: #17 (19.1%) (red)
Lee, LB: #22 (36.7%) (red)
Luani, S: #15 (30.3%) (green)
Ware, OT: --- (no tFREAK/67.3% SPARQ) (green)
Hood, RB: #22 (19.7%) (green)
Hester, DT: --- (13.6% tFREAK/no SPARQ) (green)

https://d3d2maoophos6y.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/29205249/Slaytics-2017.pdf
 
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Prediction on roster (player/depth/practice squad/cut):

Conley: yes (p)
Obi, S: yes (p)
Vandy, DL: yes (p)
Sharpe, OT: yes (d)
Lee, LB: yes (p)
Luani, S: yes (d)
Ware, OT: cut
Hood, RB: p/s
Hester, DT: p/s
 
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