NFL Draft: National media has Las Vegas Raiders going defense in the first round of mock draft
In The Athletic’s latest beat writer NFL mock draft, the Las Vegas Raiders make a few trades and go defense first.
In a reorienting offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders now turn to the draft, where the organization hopes to rebuild its identity.
That mission started in free agency and will be complete after the NFL Draft. But until then, all many can do is merely guess what the Raiders' next move will be.
In The Athletic's latest NFL mock draft, the beat writers have the Raiders making a few moves in the first round — two trades, to be specific — and selecting a defensive back as the team's first player off the board.
At pick No. 7, The Athletic's beat writers predicted that the Raiders will strike up a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. The details of the deal include Minnesota sending No. 23, 87, and a 2024 first-round pick to the Raiders for picks No. 7 and 204.
After trading down, the Raiders are predicted again to get active on the phones trading for pick No. 16 from Washington. The particulars of that deal would include Las Vegas sending picks No. 23, 70, and 174 to the Commanders for No. 16 and 193.
Following a series of moves, the Raiders will finally get to select their guy. And with the No. 16 pick, Las Vegas elects to take Devon Witherspoon, the cornerback, out of Illinois.
Check out The Athletic's full analysis of the selection:
"We obviously really love Witherspoon if we traded down from No. 7 to 23 and then back up to get him. He doesn’t have ideal size at 6-1, 180 pounds, but he has great instincts, closing speed and ball skills, and he will leave a mark when he hits receivers. Witherspoon had 14 passes defensed, three interceptions and an opposing passer rating of 24.6 when targeted in 2022. He skipped workouts at the combine and his pro day because of a tweaked hamstring but plans to have a private workout for NFL teams on April 5. Witherspoon would be a foundational piece for the Raiders’ rebuild. (And we added the Vikings’ 2024 first-rounder just in case we need to go all in for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye next year.)."
The predictions that Witherspoon would play a foundational role in the Raiders' rebuild holds up. All offseason head coach Josh McDaniels has spoken of building a roster in his image. Witherspoon is a moldable defensive back that can bring both versatility and high upside to a team lacking both.
It is a mere prediction, but it is one that feels feasible for the Raiders' future.
