One player that has been consistently mocked to the Raiders at pick No. 86 over the last month is Central Michigan OT Luke Goedeke. Even today, Mel Kiper Jr. mocked Goedeke to the Raiders in his latest draft projection.
But his draft range is all over the place. On the consensus board (made up of the top 10 most respected talent evaluators), Goedeke has an average ranking of 79.3. That is certainly in the range in which the Raiders could make a play for him.
But is there a chance he could go much earlier than in the late third round? In a recent article by Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, he named 17 players that NFL sources believe could be taken much earlier than expected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
One of those players was Goedeke, who could wind up being a top 50 pick. Here is what Kyed had to say about the Central Michigan offensive tackle:
“Goedeke is another player who a team source identified as someone who could be selected earlier than expected. One source indicated he could go as high as the top 45 picks. Another source penciled him in for the late second round.
Goedeke played right tackle with the Chippewas but projects to guard in the NFL. He didn’t let up a sack in 2021 and earned a 94.3 run-blocking grade.”
The hope is that due to a lack of experience and a history of injuries, Goedeke falls to the end of the third round. That way, the Raiders can have a shot at him. But his talent and performance on the field are significantly better than the 86th player in this class.
Don’t be surprised if Goedeke (a clear target for the Raiders) does wind up being selected in Round 2 due to the offensive line shortage in the NFL.
