Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen most mock drafts lean towards the Raiders taking a cornerback in Round 1. The two most commonly mocked defenders to Las Vegas are Christian Gonzalez (Oregon) and Devon Witherspoon (Illinois).
But what if the Raiders decide to just take the best player available at No. 7, regardless of position? Who is likely to be on the board at that spot in the draft?
In a recent article by ESPN’s NFL Draft experts, they named Northwestern LT Peter Skoronski as the best possible value pick the Raiders could make in Round 1. Here is their explanation behind the selection:
The Raiders could go a lot of different directions with this pick, but if you want value, Skoronski at No. 7 overall is pretty good. He’s capable of playing all five positions up front and could quickly become a key part of the protection for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Skoronski is one of the most well-rounded prospects in this class and given that he can play multiple positions, it does make him a pretty high-floor option for the Raiders.
Could the Raiders draft Skoronski in Round 1? Sure. But it still seems far more likely that they will take a similarly graded defensive player at that spot given their need in the secondary.
