Raiders Draft: The Legend of 'Tommy T' Begins Thursday

This is what every GM across the league says: “Everything is on the table.” The Raiders getting on the horn with teams picking higher in the draft is business as usual. And the Commanders not moving and noting they’ll make a pick is, too.

To me, it strikes of Telesco being able to tell Pierce, “Look, I tried.” Pierce has made no bones about moving up and doing everything possible to move up and potentially take a franchise signal caller prospect. The assumption is that’s LSU’s Jayden Daniels, someone Pierce knows all too well due to their respective Arizona State days.

Back to the “everything on the table” mantra: Telesco made it known during his pre-draft press conference Monday that the team has plans to trade up, pick at No. 13 overall, or trade down. But here’s the key caveat: In his 11 years as a general manager, Tommy T has never traded down in any round.

“Best Player Available” For The Raiders

The ever-popular best player available (BPA) vs. need debate happens every draft, and it’s no surprise to see Telesco asked about it this past Monday. Trying to find balance was his answer, and he shared quite the story about grappling with BPA and need during his time with the Chargers:

“So, the story I’ve told here is—I guess it’d be my first year with the Chargers—our roster needed a lot of work, but I felt like our receiver group was the strongest group on the football team. So, we’re in the draft, we’re in the third round, and Keenan Allen’s card is just staring at us, begging us to take him, and we decide we’ll take him, but more than likely he’ll probably redshirt the year,” Telesco said. “We don’t really have a spot for him; he may even be inactive every week. And then we get into May OTAs, and one receiver gets hurt. We get into training camp, and another receiver really didn’t perform the way we thought he would, and then in September, another receiver got hurt.

“Keenan jumps in the game in September, and he was Rookie of the Year that year. So, like I said, your needs change quickly and unpredictably. So, it’s hard to go into a draft just thinking how we’re going to line up this opening day.”

A true BPA route…

A true BPA route means taking the best player on your draft board regardless of depth and number of players at the position group on your roster at that given time. Here’s a scenario: The Raiders are unable to move up or down and must pick at No. 13. And the best player available on their board is UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu, BPA says take him even though the team already has Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, and Tyree Wilson at defensive end.

So, you see, it’s hard to go the route of true BPA. But, sometimes, it can work in your favor and be a fortuitous turn of events for a roster builder.

Hero or Villian?

Las Vegas’ success this season and beyond hinges on Telesco’s ability to build a competitive roster. Davis believes he can; otherwise, someone else would be GM and making the decisions.

But the immediate glorification or vilification of Tommy T begins in earnest when the Raiders are on the clock in the first round. Whether the team trades up, stands pat, or moves down, this post sums up my thoughts: