The Las Vegas Raiders have nine picks in the upcoming NFL draft, one in each round. This means that every day there will be a steady flow of players joining the Silver and Black, and a lot of possibilities for the Raiders to capitalize on any player who happens to fall down the draft board.
There's been a lot of debate on who the Raiders will pick sixth overall, with an overwhelming amount of support for them to draft Ashton Jeanty. However, it's important to look at the grand scope of things and that after the first round, the Raiders will have another high draft pick in the second round to take another possible playmaker.
They have the 37th pick in the second round, just 5 picks removed from the first round, which means any talented players other teams may have passed up on are perfect for the Raiders to target. It'll be hard to predict who will fall and who will rise, but some analysts have dared to predict how the entire NFL draft will go.
At least, that's what Chris Trapasso is attempting to do in his recent mock draft. It's a seven-round mock draft and for the first round, he predicts the Raiders will take Tetairoa McMillan. After that, he predicts Jihaad Campbell will fall all the way to the second round and into the laps of the Raiders.
This would be surprising if it were to occur on draft day, as Campbell has consistently gotten first-round hype, and is a highly touted linebacker prospect. The Raiders would get a massive steal in the second round if he were available.
In 2024, he had 119 total tackles, defended against two passes, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception returned for a touchdown. Their defense is one of the Raider's best qualities, but through free agency, they've lost some key pieces such as Jack Jones.
While Campbell can't help out their secondary, he would be a massive improvement to their linebacker room and would wreak havoc along the offensive line with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins.
He's a great tackler in space and would be a good fit for their zone scheme, while also being able to help out against the run, and has the speed to blitz the quarterback effectively. If the Raiders were to draft Campbell, it'd be a huge boost to their defense and give them a timeline on the defense to look forward to.
