News that broke on Monday that the Oakland Raiders were not seriously considering Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft has been followed by this report from NFL Media’s Omar Ruiz, that the Raiders had conversations with three different teams about moving down from the top five.
Multiple teams in contact with the @Raiders about Pick #5.
More details from Omar Ruiz: http://t.co/66LBHKOIld
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 6, 2014
This report indicates that the Raiders have not closed the door on former Fresno State standout Derek Carr with that original fifth pick. This falls right in line with what I have been hearing for a good two months from Alameda, California. Based on value, Oakland could potentially trade down and still nab Carr. This is where teams like the Detroit Lions, New York Giants and New York Jets come into play.
Locally, the San Francisco 49ers have been liked to the fifth selection. The issue here is that it would cost a whole heck of a lot in a really deep draft class for the 49ers to do that.
If for some reason Johnny Manziel is still on the board at five, the Raiders will likely get call from more than three teams before they’re on the clock. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings have previously been linked to Manziel.
Teams looking to trade down at the top of the draft might find it very difficult to get solid compensation. This is one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory, which means that there is going to be a supply and demand issue for those sitting in the top half of the first round.
Photo: John David Mercer, USA Today