2019 NFL Mock Draft: Projected first round after Week 13

Despite his core muscle injury that forced him to miss the majority of his junior season in Columbus, Nick Bosa remains at the top of draft boards. During his time at Ohio State, Bosa racked up 17.5 sacks over 29 games and as long as his physical checks out, he is likely to be the No. 1 pick in the draft barring a QB needy team sitting at the top, or trading up to grab one.

The Raiders have had no pass rush to speak of since trading Khalil Mack before the season, and they’ll be looking to remedy that this offseason. They sit dead-last in the NFL with 9 sacks – 12 players in the NFL have more than the Raiders have as a team.

Bosa has the potential to be an elite edge rusher in the NFL, and while he may never fill the gigantic shoes left by Mack, he would be a good piece to start off the massive rebuild that Jon Gruden has decided to oversee.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Gruden look to target a QB in the offseason if he decides to move on from Derek Carr, which could put the Raiders in play for drafting Oregon’s Justin Herbert with the top pick. They have so many needs at the moment though, so I can’t imagine they would risk reaching for a signal-caller with the first pick unless Gruden falls in love with one.