Raiders have room to roam on draft’s third day
After waiting nearly two days to make their first selection in the NFL draft, the Raiders will get busy on the final day Saturday with five picks from the fourth to seventh rounds.
For now, anyway. As general manager Dave Ziegler showed Friday by moving down four spots in the third round to pick up a fifth-round pick from the Tennessee Titans, he’s not averse to using the draft as a means to maneuver up and down the board.
The Raiders selected Memphis offensive lineman Dylan Parham with the 90th pick, but selecting now at No. 126 (fourth round), Nos. 164, 165 and 169 (fifth) and No. 227 (seventh), they are well-positioned to fill more needs and potentially move up and down to address them.
That was one of the motivations in making the trade for an extra fifth-round selection.
“It gives you more flexibility as we go throughout the draft,” Ziegler said. “You can look at it a couple of different ways. It can give you some more swings, in terms of more players. And it gives you more collateral to move up and down the board, too.”
The Raiders could look to address the offensive line again, though cornerback and safety also are positions that need help.
Among the top players left are Iowa State defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike, San Diego State tight end Daniel Bellinger, Alabama cornerback Jalyn Armour-davis, Nebraska outside linebacker Jojo Domann, Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant, Oklahoma defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, Texas-san Antonio cornerback Tariq Woolen, Minnesota offensive tackle Daniel Faalele and Sam Houston cornerback Zyon Mccollum.
“There’s still some value out there,” Ziegler said. “Every position is a little bit different. Some are more picked through than others. But we’re excited about some of the opportunities we’ll have.”