After adding four potential impact players to the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster, on Thursday and Friday, general manager Dave Ziegler spent the final day of the NFL Draft trying to find late-round gems while filling remaining needs.
One of the keys so far to the draft for Ziegler and his team was adding depth to their secondary, as the Raiders recorded an NFL-worst six interceptions last season.
As a result, after choosing four players through the first four rounds, the Raiders needed to finish the draft strong, as they still needed to secure some talent at key positions.
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Las Vegas Raiders trade up, draft a QB, establish secondary
The Las Vegas Raiders, who had the seventh pick in the fourth round, traded up to the second spot from Houston and got the cornerback they needed in Jakorian Bennett from Maryland.
Bennett, who stands at 5-foot-11 and weighs 195 pounds, recorded a 4.31 40-yard dash during the combine.
During his time at Maryland, Bennett recorded 39 tackles and an interception in his senior season to go along with his 27 pass breakups over the last two years, which led the country.
The theme for Ziegler’s preference for versatility continued here as Bennett can play both as a free safety or in the slot.
As the draft continued in the later rounds, the due diligence of the past year of scouting was coming to fruition for Ziegler, finally giving them a chance to pick who they wanted.
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Due to the injury history of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the Raiders needed to have some insurance for the 31-year-old. As a result, Las Vegas selected quarterback Aidan O’Connell from Purdue.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound play-caller completed 320 of his 409 passes for 3,490 yards and 22 touchdowns last season as he became the school’s all-time leader in completion percentage, passing efficiency, and 500-yard games.
Learning behind Garoppolo gives O’Connell a chance to develop as an NFL quarterback. It’s a nice landing spot for a player who started his Purdue career as a walk-on and worked his way up to be one of the best quarterbacks in program history, alongside another mainstay in the NFL, Drew Brees.
“I think he started as an eighth-string quarterback at Purdue and worked his way all the way up and eventually became a starter there,” Ziegler said to the media Saturday. “One thing about quarterbacks that you don’t get to see if you’re watching tape or if you’re just watching games, is over 50% of their success is what they’re made from the neck up.
“Intelligence, ability to process, those type of intangibles, leadership. It felt like he had those different intangible qualities.”
Ziegler traded up nine spots from pick No. 144 to 135 to secure the two-time All-Big Ten selection.
The Raiders deepened its secondary by drafting safety Christopher Smith II from the reigning two-time college football National Champions, the Georgia Bulldogs, to conclude the fifth round.
Smith II, who stands at 5-foot-11, comes to the Silver and Black at 192 pounds and recorded a 4.62 40-yard dash during the combine.
The Atlanta, Ga. Native has been a champion for a long time, winning a state title at Hapeville Charter High School in Atlanta while being the Georgia Class 2A Defensive Player of the Year as a senior before winning a couple of national titles at the University of Georgia.
Ziegler said Smith reminds him of veteran safety Duron Harmon, who played for the Raiders last year and is currently a free agent.
“He reminded me a lot about Duron Harmon and his ability,” Ziegler said of Smith. “Chris relies on his instincts and awareness to make plays on the football field. He is a student of the game and has a very unique ability to pattern read, look at a route concept and how it develops out of the snap and make some reads.”
Raiders strengthen front seven to wrap up 2023 draft class
The final hours of the NFL were near as the Raiders ultimately had two picks left, looking for late-round standouts like other recent draft picks, like wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and defensive end Maxx Crosby.
With their pick in the sixth round, Ziegler and the Raiders chose linebacker Amari Burney from Florida with the 203rd overall selection.
The 6-foot-1, 233-pound linebacker comes to the Raiders after recording 79 tackles and nine tackles for loss during his senior season. Burney also forced two fumbles and recovered a loose ball while recording two interceptions with four quarterback hits and four pass breakups.
In the final round, the Raiders concluded its draft by getting one more defensive lineman in tackle Nesta Jade Silvera, who comes from Arizona State.
The 6-foot-2, 315-pound native from Broward County, Florida will head up Highway 95 from Arizona State to Las Vegas after recording 56 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss last year for the Sun Devils.
“He had started his career at Miami and transferred to Arizona State. He was a really disruptive player this year,” Ziegler said. “When we (watch him) on tape, it was surprising to see this inside player, just how disruptive he was in the running game, a lot of penetration, a lot of plays where he’s in the backfield and a lot of plays where he’s finding the football and making tackles.”
With that, the second draft for Ziegler is in the books as he looks to improve the roster throughout the rest of the offseason heading into training camp.
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