Blistering In From Sea.

[KimJongBaze]

liking the small moves here to add depth, still waiting for the big splash ah ah ah

[Soapy]

Post Combine Las Vegas Raiders Top 100 Mock Draft: Raiders go after premium positions with two first round picks
Since the last mock draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have traded running back Josh Jacobs, acquired an additional first and third round pick and attended the NFL Combine and several Pro Day and signed several free agents. With additional assets and information, the Raiders might approach draft day a little bit differently now:

Projected Draft Picks
‣ Round 1, Pick 18
OT Blake Fisher | 6'6", 310lbs | 8th ranked OT
After being projected to select another Notre Dame offensive tackle in previous mocks, the Raiders go with a different Fighting Irish in Blake Fisher who is a more powerful athlete than his higher ranked counterpart, Joe Alt.

Fisher is your prototypical right tackle with high end physical traits as he's extremely light on his feet for a 300 pounder and bursts off the line of scrimmage with tremendous natural strength and power. The lone question on the offensive line with the recent free agent acquisitions is right tackle and Fisher fits in that role more than Alt, who might be a cleaner prospect if you were looking for a left tackle. The Raiders already have one in Kolton Miller who is very similar to Alt.

‣ Round 1, Pick 28
CB Jason Marshall Jr. | 6'1", 203lbs | 5th ranked CB
The remix edition! Marshall Jr. was initially projected to be a second round pick and was mocked to the Raiders before with their second round selection but Marshall solidified himself as a potential first round talent with an impressive combine and with an additional first round pick, the Raiders shouldn't take any chances and draft Marshall.

At six-foot-one and 203 pounds, Marshall ran an impressive 4.46 at the Combine and 4.45 at his Pro Day, proving it wasn't a fluke. He also had a 40-inch vertical jump at his pro day and a 10'4" broad jump, fourth best among all corners.

‣ Round 2, Pick 44 (via PHI)
QB Bo Nix | 6'2", 217lbs | 7th ranked QB
With a Tim Tebow selection in his history, you can't rule out Josh McDaniels going with a polarizing pick and Dave Ziegler comes from the Belichick Tree so why not Bo Nix?

He's a good athlete with a strong arm and a proven winner at the college level with tons of experience. The upside might not be there compared to other top quarterback prospects but they'll be off the board by pick 44 so why not secure someone that can challenge Jimmy G right away, making it possible for the Raiders to free themselves from his huge cap hit?

‣ Round 2, Pick 50
EDGE Laiatu Latu | 6'5", 265lbs | 5th ranked EDGE
Latu is an exciting edge defender who flashes excellent quickness, length, and hands, which makes him a threat to the quarterback every snap. Tyree Wilson isn't as twitched up as some thought he would be some adding some more firepower to the Raiders pass rush is just what the doctor ordered and Latu brings plenty of that with this selection.

‣ Round 3, Pick 82
HB Will Shipley | 5'11", 210lbs | 5th ranked RB
After going with Trey Benson in an earlier mock, it's now Will Shipley time which requires a bit of optimism that he won't be selected before this selection. Shipley quieted all doubts about his top end speed with 4.35 forty at his Pro Day, improving upon his 4.4 forty at the Combine which led all running backs.

He's got good contact balance and was involved in the passing game at Clemson, making it a smooth transition to McDaniels' offense which has used running backs heavily in the past when he was in New England.

‣ Round 3, Pick 92
WR Keon Coleman | 6'4", 230lbs | 17th ranked WR
Coleman showed up seemingly out of shape at the Combine and ran a disappointing 4.64 forty, tanking his draft stock. Whether he's dealing with an injury that caused the poor showing in all drills is still unclear but the Raiders can take a high reward type player in the third round with their second selection in Coleman who looked like college football's best receiver at times this past season.

[Soapy]

liking the small moves here to add depth, still waiting for the big splash ah ah ah

crawl before you walk

[Soapy]

Raiders sign running back Damien Harris, receiver Laviska Sheunalt Jr.
Running back Damien Harris, who played for Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels in New England, is signing a one-year deal with the Raiders along with receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. who last played for the Carolina Panthers.

It's one year, $4.2 million for Harris who reunites with McDaniels to potentially be the lead back alongside Zamir White following the trade of Josh Jacobs. Harris rushed for 822 yards with Buffalo last season, scoring eight touchdowns. His best season came in New England when McDaniels was the play caller, rushing for 929 yards in 2021 along with fifteen touchdowns.

For Sheunalt, it's a two-year deal with an annual cap hit around $6.4 million as McDaniels and the Raiders are the latest to try to unlock Shenault's unique abilities as both a receiver and a runner. In Jacksonville, Shenault caught at least 58 passes each season before two down years in Carolina where he combined for just 37 receptions in 30 games.

The latest deals leave Las Vegas with around $33.9 million in cap space.

Notable NFL Transactions
DT Sebastian Joseph-Day (1yr/$8.5m)
S Terrell Edmunds (3yr/$13.5m)
DT D.J. Jones (1yr/$5.31m)
G Dalton Risner (2yr/$23m)
WR Jarvis Landry (2yr/$14.4m)
WR Calvin Ridley (3yr/$28.7m)
LB Denzel Perryman (2yr/$13.5m)
HB A.J. Dillon (2yr/$8.62m)

[Soapy]

Raiders fill out roster with nine veteran minimum additions, including former Raider Karl Joseph
The Las Vegas Raiders have signed nine players on veteran minimum deals in safety Karl Joseph, fullback Nick Bawden, tight end Eric Tomlinson, defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, defensive end Khalid Kareem, outside linebacker Jordan Willis, safety Deon Bush, defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence and outside linebacker Porter Gustin.

Joseph was a first round pick by the Raiders back in 2016 coming out of West Virginia, spending four seasons with the Raiders before playing with the Cleveland Browns in 2020 and Pittsburgh in 2021. Joseph missed the 2022 season with an ankle injury and was not on an NFL roster last year as he tries to make his comeback with the Raiders.

In related news, former Raiders Marcus Peters and Jermaine Eluemunor signed free agent deals with the Rams and Jaguars respectively. The Rams also signed quarterback Sam Darnold, a potential target for the Raiders if they were looking to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo.

The moves bring the Raiders to 48 players on their roster with nine draft selections available and potentially more camp invites after the draft.

Notable NFL Transactions
QB Sam Darnold (3yr/$14.2m)
DE Calais Campbell (1yr/$9.44m)
CB Marcus Peters (1yr/$3.76m)
T Taylor Lewan (1yr/$8.92m)
WR D.J. Chark Jr. (3yr/$21.7m)
TE Irv Smith Jr. (4yr/$28.2m)
CB Byron Jones (1yr/$6.18m)
S Taylor Rapp (2yr/$8.52m)

[KimJongBaze]

SOLID!

I'm lowkey expecting a trade up in the draft now. Packaging those two first rounders for Shedeur

[Soapy]

SOLID!

I'm lowkey expecting a trade up in the draft now. Packaging those two first rounders for Shedeur

plotting, scheming!

[Soapy]

Report: Raiders star receiver Davante Adams open to trade amid potential rebuild
The Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams is 'not opposed' to a trade to a Super Bowl contender following the trade of running back Josh Jacobs and the rumored impending release of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

This was first reported by Pro Football Network's Mike Florio who appeared on The Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday, citing that Adams has expressed to those around him that he is not enthusiastic about being part of a potential rebuild with the Raiders should they choose to release Jimmy Garoppolo and move forward with a cheaper option, whether in the draft or signing a cheaper veteran.

Teams inquired about Adams last offseason when the Raiders moved on from Derek Carr, who was a major reason why Adams picked Las Vegas when his time in Green Bay came to an end. The Raiders didn't entertain those offers and so far this year, it's unclear if any official offers have been made for Adams with just a few days left before the draft.

[Soapy]

Drake Maye to the Vikings, Raiders pass up on Shedeur Sanders in latest Mel Kiper Mock Draft
After all this talk of Drake Maye and a loaded quarterback class behind presumed top pick Caleb Williams, ESPN's top draft analyst Mel Kiper has just Williams going in the top five and just three quarterbacks selected in the first round.

Kiper is projecting both the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers, who have less than ideal quarterback situations, to pass on Maye and go with Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. and Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham respectively at five and six.

The Vikings signed Baker Mayfield in the offseason but drafting Maye at seven -- if he falls there -- would make sense for their long term future and pair Maye, eventually, with one of the NFL's top receivers in Justin Jefferson. Kiper doesn't have another quarterback going off the board until pick nineteen where the Saints, picking after the Raiders, select Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

There's been a lot of smoke around Sanders being a potential top ten pick to the Rams and certainly to the Raiders, who some speculate could trade up to get him, so placing Sanders at nineteen is especially surprising with the Raiders drafting offensive tackle Olu Fashanu instead who some view as a top five talent prior to a shaky medical at the NFL Combine.

With the draft just 24 hours away, there'll be plenty of more speculation as the final hours ticket away.

[Soapy]

Welcome to the Justin Fields Era as Raiders trade for Bears QB prior to the NFL Draft
The Las Vegas Raiders have acquired quarterback Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears in exchange for the 28th, 50th and 92nd overall pick in this year's draft just hours before the Washington Commanders are on the clock, waiving quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the process.

In a shocking turn of events, the Raiders aren't leverage their stockpiled picks to trade up for a quarterback in the draft but are instead landing the former 11th overall pick who rushed for 1,143 yards in 2022 in just fifteen games with the Bears.

Fields played all seventeen games last season, nearly taking the Bears to the playoffs after throwing for 2,903 yards, fifteen touchdowns and ten interceptions while rushing for 664 yards and three touchdowns. The Bears fired their head coach, Matt Eberflus, despite the improvement to an 8-9 record and brought in Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

The Bears had a very busy offseason, signing several high priced free agents in cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jeremy Chinn, defensive ends Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell and even added some offensive weapons in running back Devin Singletary and receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. It's now clear that those moves were not for Fields but rather for the Bears next quarterback, whether that be someone in the draft with Chicago picking 8th and 13th or perhaps going after Kirk Cousins as a free agent. Maybe even Garoppolo.

For the Raiders, Fields isn't an unknown asset as Raiders assistant general manager was the Bears assistant director of player personnel when the Bears drafted Fields in 2021 and Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels attended Fields' pro day that offseason when he was coming out of the draft as the Patriots were in the market for a quarterback that year, selecting Mac Jones.

Raiders fans and players got a chance to see Fields up and close personal this year with Fields throwing for 321 yards and a touchdown in the Bears 34-31 loss to the Raiders earlier this year. If it's any indication of the vibes around the locker room, both Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams reposted the team's social media post which announced the trade. Adams had been rumored to being open to a trade if the team was going to release Garoppolo and plan a rebuild following the trade of Josh Jacobs. Instead, they used the capital from the Jacobs trade to help land Fields.