Raiders could land ‘big-time’ defensive player in NFL draft

One reason Jon Gruden has said he returned to coach the Raiders was the chance to work with Derek Carr, the type of promising young quarterback Gruden rarely had to run his offense in his first turn as a head coach.

This week, Carr — and the five-year extension he signed last summer — provide another luxury for Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie: freedom to take a non-quarterback in the first round of the NFL draft.

Most projections have up to four quarterbacks going at or near the top of the draft’s first round Thursday, which could leave several top prospects at other positions available when the Raiders select at No. 10.

“If four quarterbacks go in front of them, they’re sitting in a pretty good place,” NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said on a conference call last week.

The Raiders figure to have options. They could use the 10th pick to draft a defensive playmaker. They could invest in more protection for Carr. Or if a top quarterback is still on the board at No. 10, they could entertain offers to trade down for additional picks.

In the lead-up to the draft, many analysts had the Raiders addressing defense on Day 1.

“There’s going to be five or six defensive players available there (at No. 10) that are big-time, game-changing defensive players,” Mayock said.

“I don’t care whether you’re talking about one of the two safeties (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Derwin James), (cornerback) Denzel Ward, one of the two inside linebackers (Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds) or (defensive tackle) Vita Vea. One or two or three of those guys is going to be there for them, and I think they can take that in any direction.”

The Raiders have a need at middle linebacker with last year’s starter, NaVorro Bowman, still a free agent. And the consensus seems to be that Smith, a Georgia alum and Butkus Award winner, would be an ideal fit.

“I think with the 10th pick, a linebacker is what will help them the most,” Sirius XM analyst Gil Brandt said. Fellow Sirius analyst Phil Savage compared Smith to Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.

“If he were there at No. 10, I think he would be an automatic, take about five seconds to get that card in,” Savage said. “He is a tremendous player.”

Smith, though, would have to slip past teams such as the Colts (No. 6) and 49ers (No. 9) who also could have interest. As would Edmunds, the gifted 19-year-old from Virginia Tech whom Brandt said he thinks could be taken higher than Smith.

The Raiders have sought a dominant interior rusher to pair with Khalil Mack coming off the edge. Vea, a 6-foot-4, 347-pound tackle from Washington and Milpitas, fits the description, though there is debate over his value.

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks said on a recent conference call that Vea “offers something that you just can’t find. (He’s) a big guy who’s a run stopper, who may be able to do more than just become a pocket-pusher in the passing game.”

Mayock was less bullish, saying: “I think there’s going to be some better value for (the Raiders) at 10.” He suggested the Raiders could target an interior rusher in the middle rounds, naming North Carolina State’s Justin Jones, Fort Hays State’s Nathan Shepherd and Sam Houston State’s P.J. Hall as possibilities.

Despite a free-agent makeover that included signing six new defensive backs, the Raiders could bolster a secondary that had just five interceptions last season and allowed the third-highest passer rating in the NFL. They also could consider one of the draft’s top offensive tackles, such as Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey, with last year’s starting right tackle (Marshall Newhouse) released and left tackle Donald Penn not expected to play beyond 2019.

At last month’s owners meetings, Gruden cited the secondary, interior pass rush, receiver and offensive tackle as areas where the Raiders still have needs. They own 11 picks in this year’s draft, and general manager Reggie McKenzie said the Raiders are prepared for more roster turnover on top of the two dozen signings they made in free agency.

“If we saw a player out there that we could really go get, that’s what we did this offseason,” McKenzie said at his pre-draft news conference Friday.

“Now, going into this draft, that will play a part only from the standpoint of competition. We’re not going to not get a position player because we signed a certain guy. If there’s a player on our board that we really like, we’re still going to try to go get him.”