2020 NFL Draft In Review: Raiders Add Skill-Position Talent, Address Needs

The Las Vegas Raiders ended the three-day 2020 NFL Draft making seven selections. These picks were slanted towards the early-to-mid rounds with Las Vegas not making a single selection after Round 4.

While a lack of selections in the later rounds might have hurt from a depth perspective, general manager Mike Mayock and Co. hit big time on the offensive side of the ball. Las Vegas also added tremendous value at cornerback in the mid rounds.

Here’s my review of the Raiders’ 2020 draft class.

First Round, 12th Pick: Henry Ruggs, wide receiver, Alabama

It was not a secret that Oakland targeted wide receiver with the first of its two Day 1 picks. That had clearly been the case in the days leading up to the draft. In picking up the 5-foot-11, 187-pound Ruggs, the Raiders went back to their glory days under the late-great Al Davis. This former Alabama standout has blazing speed. He ran a 4.27 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine and can take the top off the defense at nearly every turn.

The addition of Ruggs sets Las Vegas’ offense up to be absolutely dynamic moving forward. He will team up with more of a possession receiver in that of Tyrell Williams’ as the Raiders’ two starters next season. It’s a perfect match, especially with stud tight end Darren Waller inside. Grade: A+

First Round, 19th Pick: Damon Arnette, Cornerback, Ohio State

Given the corners that were on the board at 19, this selection was both a surprise and a reach. The consensus was that Jaylon Johnson, Trevon Diggs and Kristian Fulton were all better outside cornerback options than Arnette. Despite this, the Raiders decided to go with need over value.

This isn’t to say Arnette won’t be a good player. He yielded one of the lowest quarterback ratings in the nation last season and has top-end coverage skills. He’s tremendous playing press and can line up both in the slot and out on the boundary. Las Vegas now has two young corners at the book ends in that of Arnette and last year’s second-round pick Trayvon Mullen. That can’t be seen as a bad thing. Though, this is definitely a reach. Grade: C-

Third-Round, 80th Pick: Lynn Bowden Jr., Athlete, Kentucky

Where to start. Bowden was among my draft crushes heading into the annual event. He has the ability to play all over the field, including running back, boundary receiver and in the slot. While Mayock noted that Bowden will be listed as a running back behind Josh Jacobs, he also said the former Kentucky star will be used as a “joker” of sorts.

What’s not to like about this? The 6-foot-1, 195-pound playmaker recorded 1,468 rushing yards at a clip of 7.9 yards per attempt last season. He added 30 receptions for 348 yards and even threw for north of 400 yards while being thrust into playing quarterback. That came on the heels of Bowden catching 67 passes as a sophomore back in 2018. The dude is legit. Grade: A+

Third Round, 81st Pick: Bryan Edwards, Wide Receiver, South Carolina

Some were surprised that Las Vegas went skill-position player with the second of its three third-round picks. Not me. Edwards is among the most-underrated receivers in an historically deep class at that position. Nabbing him at 81 was an absolute steal for Las Vegas.

At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, Edwards is different than the two skill-position players Las Vegas selected before him. He’s a possession receiver in every sense of the term, providing a huge catch radius. This doesn’t even take into account how highly productive he was on a South Carolina offense that was limited from a passing standpoint over the past few seasons. Grade: A

Third Round, 100th Pick: Tanner Muse, Linebacker, Clemson

This is where the Raiders lost me. Trading down from the 91st pick made a lot of sense. Selecting a late-round talent, at best, did not make any sense. Muse lined up at safety for Clemson. He does not boast the athleticism or coverage skills to play in the secondary at the NFL level.

Mayock noted after the selection that they view Muse as a core special teams performer. That’s not the type of value you expect in a top-100 pick. With much better talent available to them in the third round, the Raiders absolutely dropped the ball here. Grade: D-

Fourth Round, 109th Pick: John Simpson, Guard, Clemson

“We ended up getting the third pick in this round with Detroit and we really wanted to get that Clemson guard,” Mayock said about the Simpson selection Saturday evening. “He was a guy that we had on our board for yesterday, depending on how the board fell. We would have taken him in the third round.”

That about sums it up. Las Vegas got an absolute steal in this multi-year starter on one of the top offenses in the nation. Simpson (6-foot-4, 321 pounds) fits the Raiders’ mold of an interior lineman to a T. He’s an imposing force with physicality very few can match in the 2020 NFL Draft.

What’s even better here is the fact that Simpson’s selection represented both value and need. Las Vegas has Gabe Jackson on the grade block. Fellow guard Richie Incognito is well past his prime. Grade: A+

Fourth Round, 139th Pick: Amik Robertson, Cornerback, Louisiana Tech

Yet another steal for Las Vegas, some had Robertson projected as a second-round pick. His smallish fame of 5-foot-8 seems to suggest the ball hawk will be limited to the slot. Mayock pretty much confirmed that after the selection.

Even then, we’re talking about a dude with tremendous coverage and ball skills. He’s going to be a perfect fit with fellow youngsters Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arenette at corner. Las Vegas hit its final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft out of the park. Grade: A+

Bottom Line (Grade: B)

Two reaches in that of Arnette and Muse. Outside of that, Las Vegas found value at need positions throughout the 2020 NFL Draft.

I absolutely love what Mayock and Co. did on the offensive side of the ball. Head coach Jon Gruden now has a plethora of young playmakers to work with. A skill-position group that includes Josh Jacobs, Lynn Bowden, Darren Waller, Jason Witten, Tyrell Williams, Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards is absolutely legit.

Las Vegas came into the 2020 NFL Draft with a clear plan to help Derek Carr under center. He now has no more excuses. It’s put up or shut up time for the embattled quarterback. The Raiders made that clear with their draft picks.