2019 NFL Draft: Projected First Round after NFL Combine

The Raiders have three first round picks after trading arguably their two best players – Khail Mack and Amari Cooper – and what they choose to do with them will have the biggest impact on how the first round of the draft pans out.

With their first pick, they should only be considering one thing: draft the best available edge rusher to fix the NFL’s worst pass rush. Oakland finished the season dead-last in sacks by a wide margin. No Raider had more than four sacks on the season. Bruce Irvin finished the season second on the team in sacks, and he was cut in the middle of the year.

This is their first, second, and third priority this offseason. Kentucky’s Josh Allen is a little bit raw with his technique, typically getting by with a remarkably quick speed rush off the edge, which is all the more impressive considering how productive he was in Lexington as a senior. Allen produced 21 tackles-for-loss and 17 sacks as he helped lead the Wildcats to their best season in 40 years.

Allen fits any scheme, whether he needs to put his hand in the dirt or standing up as an outside linebacker. He might have the highest ceiling of any edge rusher in this class, Bosa included. Allen is talented enough to contribute at the next level as a rookie, but the fruits of the labor will be bared out after a couple of years of NFL coaching unlocks the monster that he’s capable of being in the league.

The only player the Raiders should think about considering with this pick outside of the best available edge rusher is Quinnen Williams if he was available. It wouldn’t shock me, however, if Jon Gruden targets LSU’s Devin White with this selection after the Butkus Award winner showed out in Indianapolis and clinched his spot as the draft’s top linebacker.