It’s typically pretty easy to guess what position a team will take in Round 1. Last year, it seemed very likely that the Raiders would take an offensive lineman at No. 17 and they did with the Alex Leatherwood selection.
But trying to figure out what a team might do late in the third round is much more difficult. However, there is a tool that might be able to help us predict which position the Raiders could be targeting with their top pick.
According to Pro Football Focus, their current draft simulator has 33 percent of user mock drafts selecting a linebacker for the Raiders at No. 86. The next highest position is offensive tackle at 25 percent. After that, it’s the interior offensive line at 13 percent.
That lines up pretty well with the needs of the Raiders and where the strength of the draft is this year. If the Raiders pick a linebacker at No. 86, there is a pretty good chance they will be getting a quality player. Someone like Channing Tindall (Georgia) or Brandon Smith (Penn State) would make sense late in the third round for Las Vegas.
But if they select an offensive lineman at No. 86, the quality of that player might not be as high. However, right tackle is certainly the biggest need on the roster going into the NFL draft. So they might be forced to reach a little on someone like Luke Goedeke (Central Michigan) or Abraham Lucas (Washington State) if they want a right tackle.
While the Raiders could certainly go in a number of directions at No. 86, linebacker or offensive tackle seems like a pretty safe bet. But considering where they pick, they might just sit and pick the best player who falls to them. Time will certainly tell.