The Oakland Raiders have certainly made their fair share of moves during the 2018 offseason, but in order for this team to really make an impact, head coach Jon Gruden says that they need to get much more out of the most recent Raiders draft picks.
In an article written by Raiders beat reporter Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, Gruden opened up about Oakland's sense of direction going into next weekend's 2018 NFL Draft that begins on April 26.
“Our last three draft classes, we've got to get more production from those guys,” coach Gruden said on Tuesday. “There's a lot of unknown right now. We need [Gareon] Conley to come back and be a corner for us. Jihad Ward and Obi Melifonwu, these are second-round draft choices. Have not seen them on tape very much. We need to see where they are, fast.”
Over the last three draft classes, only four Raiders selections are considered to be full-time starters: star wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., strong safety Karl Joseph and defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes.
With that in mind, Gutierrez also reported that Gruden has a strong desire to push these recent draft choices harder to establish depth, competition, and versatility heading into the draft.
“We had a lot of needs,” Gruden said. “Our secondary was decimated. Our linebacking corps — we didn't have any numbers. Two of our defensive linemen were free agents. A lot of issues.”
The Raiders will have the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and have 11 total selections during draft weekend.
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