With The First Pick
Fansided

2017 NFL Draft Recap, Initial Grades and Analysis

By Carl Cockerham

Apr 28, 2017; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns first round pick defensive lineman Myles Garrett and his father Lawrence Garrett display his jersey to the media at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2017; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns first round pick defensive lineman Myles Garrett and his father Lawrence Garrett display his jersey to the media at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Gareon Conley speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Gareon Conley speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Oakland Raiders went into this draft loaded on offense with a chance to get better in defense. And they raided this draft, starting with CB Gareon Conley in the first round. I had Conley as my No. 1 CB after Sidney Jones went down and he fits the Raiders perfectly as a press-bail CB. <p>In the second round, they took Obi Melifonwu, the freak athlete of the draft at 6’4″, 225 pounds. Melifonwu is a great tackler in the run game that’s also an ex-CB with CB skills to match up with TEs. The hits kept coming in the third round with DL Eddie Vanderdoes who’s a dynamic player.</p><div class=. —A++. . oakland raiders. 24. team. 28

Vanderdoes was on his way to Round 1 until a torn ACL in 2015 had him out of shape in 2016. The rest of the Raiders’ draft looks like depth with the exception of fifth-round pick Marquel Lee. Lee is a jackhammer of a ILB that’s a force against the run while his weakness is in pass coverage.

But he’s plenty athletic enough for coverage and can improve on it with a little work. The Raiders made one heck of a haul and are now contenders, especially with the way they improved their defense. The AFC West is the toughest division in football now and the Raiders are equipped to win it.

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24

oakland raiders —A++

The Oakland Raiders went into this draft loaded on offense with a chance to get better in defense. And they raided this draft, starting with CB Gareon Conley in the first round. I had Conley as my No. 1 CB after Sidney Jones went down and he fits the Raiders perfectly as a press-bail CB.

In the second round, they took Obi Melifonwu, the freak athlete of the draft at 6’4″, 225 pounds. Melifonwu is a great tackler in the run game that’s also an ex-CB with CB skills to match up with TEs. The hits kept coming in the third round with DL Eddie Vanderdoes who’s a dynamic player.

Vanderdoes was on his way to Round 1 until a torn ACL in 2015 had him out of shape in 2016. The rest of the Raiders’ draft looks like depth with the exception of fifth-round pick Marquel Lee. Lee is a jackhammer of a ILB that’s a force against the run while his weakness is in pass coverage.

But he’s plenty athletic enough for coverage and can improve on it with a little work. The Raiders made one heck of a haul and are now contenders, especially with the way they improved their defense. The AFC West is the toughest division in football now and the Raiders are equipped to win it.

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