Raiders add to depth, especially on defense, and draft to fill needs

GM Reggie McKenzie improves the depth of the 2017 roster

ALAMEDA — The Raiders promised to draft for talent instead of need and followed that script in a draft in which their fifth-round pick may own the clearest path to a starting job.

That’s not to say the Raiders’ top three picks won’t see plenty of time on the field — they should — but general manager Reggie McKenzie clearly went in with a wide approach toward improving the depth on the roster.

“How much I can get out of this group? I hope a lot,” McKenzie said. “They’re all going to come in and compete. We’ll sign guys postdraft also, but we’re going to give them all an opportunity to compete with the veterans we already have. We hope out of it all, the competition part of it, the cream rises and we have a very good 53-man roster.”

The Raiders opened the third day by taking Florida left tackle David Sharpe in the fourth before finally addressing their major need at linebacker with Wake Forest’s Marquel Lee in the fifth round.

After executing a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to give up their sixth round pick in exchange for two in the seventh, the Raiders grabbed four more players they’ll bring to Alameda and give a chance to make the team.

With a roster paper thin at inside linebacker, the Raiders didn’t jump in the early rounds to address that need. Instead, McKenzie stayed patient and found a player he liked.

“He plays with strength, and has a feel for the game, great size, kind of what we look for in a big middle linebacker,” he said of the 6foot-3, 240-pound Lee.

McKenzie also wouldn’t close the door on revisiting Perry Riley Jr., who remains a free agent after the veteran played fairly well last season. But he also said he views Jelani Jenkins as a potential starter at inside linebacker and seems OK with where the position group — which also features Ben Heeney and Cory James — stands.

McKenzie has never been big on drafting inside linebackers high in the draft and clearly felt no pressure to do so despite the perceived need. But if firstround cornerback Gareon Conley and second-round safety Obi Melifonwu are impact players, third-round defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes is a solid rotational player and Lee can develop into a starter, this should be viewed as a successful draft for the reigning Executive of the Year.

Conley and Melifonwu are guys who can fill specific needs, even if they don’t step right in as starters. Conley can start his career as a nickel cornerback and if his presence leads to improved play from returners Sean Smith and David Amerson, that’s a bonus. Melifonwu will be counted on to help defend tight ends and play in the slot as well and likewise could create some healthy competition with Reggie Nelson and Karl Joseph.

“You have to have speed to play the game the way it’s going now,” McKenzie said. “You have to be able to play in space. You have to be able to match up. We took all of that into consideration when we brought these players in.

“Both of those guys have great range, speed, very athletic. So, they make tackles in space. That’s one of the things that we looked at. Make sure short to medium plays don’t turn into big plays. I think they will help in that scenario.”

Sharpe was the first of two offensive tackles taken on Saturday, along with seventh-rounder Jalyn Ware. There were reports, including a mention on the NFL Network broadcast of the draft, that Sharpe is legally blind in his right eye. Sharpe acknowledged his vision in his right eye is not as good as his left, but both he and McKenzie denied that he’s legally blind.”

“All of it is false,” Sharpe said. “Just had a little cataract removed when I was younger. Just been battling that since I’ve been young, but it doesn’t affect my play or vision or anything. I’m not blind.”

McKenzie loaded up on potential in the seventh round, starting with Washington State safety Shalom Luani, a former soccer player who played internationally for American Samoa and wowed the Raiders’ GM.

“That guy is a playmaker,” McKenzie said. “You can look at one quarter of football and you know he loves the game.”

North Carolina running back Elijah Hood was brought to tears when he spoke on a teleconference about joining the Raiders and the player he modeled his game after: Marshawn Lynch.

“I feel like I have so many questions I need to ask him and learn from him about the game and the NFL and what it takes to be successful,” Hood said.