2019 NFL Mock Draft: Projected first round after college football season

This pick comes to the Raiders via the Bears as part of the Khalil Mack trade.

The Raiders had one of the NFL’s worst defenses this season, and after nabbing a pass rusher with their first pick, they need to then look at drafting an interior defensive lineman to help a run defense that ranked 30th in the league.

Jeffery Simmons might not project as much of a pass rusher at the next level after coming away with just seven sacks over his three year career at Mississippi State, but he is a terror against the run. He was a major reason the Bulldogs boasted one of college football’s top defenses in 2018, accumulating 18 tackles-for-loss in a dominant junior season in Starkville.

There are some alleged character concerns about Simmons that could ultimately affect his stock, but he’s undeniably talented and would come in and serve as an immediate upgrade in the middle of what was a soft run defense in Oakland.

The Raiders aren’t likely to find a player on the same level as Khalil Mack, a generational pass rusher, but adding Josh Allen with their own pick and then netting Jeffery Simmons with the Bears pick would give Jon Gruden some building blocks as he continues his roster overhaul for the silver and black.