Raiders 2017 NFL draft: Miami CB Corn Elder a Day 2 target with upside Oakland already has second year sensation Karl Joseph, reliable backup Nate Allen and the perennial Pro Bowler Reggie Nelson at the position, but nabbing Jenkins in the sixth round signifies that he’ll be used in sub packages and mostly against the run. Last update: Thursday, April 27, 2017. Next update: Thursday afternoon. Follow me @walterfootball for updates. The order of this 2017 NFL Mock Draft is based on the 2017 NFL Draft Order.

In Reggie we trust.

After a long series of successful moves as Raiders general manager, Reggie McKenzie finds himself in the rare position of having earned both the trust of his franchise, and fanbase.

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t a learning curve for McKenzie, as there have been some definitive bumps in the road along the way (see Hue Jackson firing, Tony Bergstrom, D.J. Hayden). But the errors have been paltry compared to most GMs, and McKenzie’s rare talent as team architect clearly outweighs any small previous blunder.

McKenzie’s draft misses haven’t set the franchise back one time. But when he hits on a pick, WOW. Drafting players like Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper and Derek Carr alone will keep a fellow employed for an extra year or two.

He also inherited a team that was $30 million dollars north of the salary cap, fixed it, hired coach Jack Del Rio and now has fans wanting him to draft a defensive tackle with the No. 24 overall pick in April’s draft.

After all, if your “need” heading into a draft is a defensive tackle, you’re in pretty good shape.

Yes, I’m aware of the lack of availability and ineffectiveness of Raiders defensive tackle Stacy McGee and Justin Ellis respectively. However, there is far too much talent at other needed positions for the Silver and Black to consider reaching for at the position . . . (paging Kawann Short…).

Both the drafting of offensive lineman Vadal Alexander and the signing of offensive guard Denver Kirkland have gone as underappreciated pick ups to date, and each will eventually pay huge dividends down the line with their run blocking.

Recall, Alexander was the left guard at LSU just two years ago when Tigers running back Leonard Fournette was running wherever he pleased.

Meanwhile, Kirkland played multiple positions on the offensive line, including lining up as a tight end in jumbo packages in 2016. While watching game tape on Kirkland I heard a sentence from the game’s play-by-play announcer that I had never heard before.

“He just mauled Von Miller!”

Kirkland should prove to be a very good road-grading run blocker, but while the 2017 NFL draft is fairly stacked at cornerback, wide receiver and tight ends — the same can’t be said about offensive lineman.

Fortunately for Raiders fans, McKenzie has been around long enough to likely understand that not a single team won a Super Bowl because of its defensive tackle.

Ever.

Several top-tier cornerbacks will be available at pick No. 24 overall when the Raiders make their first round selection in 2017. Ideally, the pick here might be Quincy Wilson out of Florida (I do like him much more than Teez Tabor), but I’m sticking with Washington cornerback Sidney Jones.

Don’t listen to the “experts” that worry about Jones’ skinny frame. Yes, he’s listed at 175-180 pounds, but in press coverage he has proven to be surprisingly physical. The rangy CB has an excellent set of jabs that are downright violent causing the first few yards of receiver’s routes to be routinely altered and delayed.

Jones is also a ballhawk, and proved as much by getting his hands on over 20 percent of the passes thrown his way.

No, Jones is not great against the run. But that’s not why I’m drafting a corner here. Moreover, when the negatives in scouting reports are “If he weighed 195 lbs, he’d be even better” and “hips sometimes twitch early” that tells me scouts are really reaching for the negatives.

Despite having a poor showing against USC’s JuJu Smith Schuster in 2016, if one truly tracks Jones’ years at UW, they’ll see he is a model of consistency and a Week 1 NFL starter at CB.

Much like the corners, some good offensive tackles will fall down the board in 2017.

Cam Robinson, Garett Bolles and Ryan Ramczyk should all be gone by the time the Raiders are on the clock for their second round pick . . . meaning Florida State T Roderick Johnson may end up gift wrapped for the Silver and Black.

Watching tape on Johnson I ended up surprised his OT ranking wasn’t higher.

The former Seminole displays above average pass blocking ability, and when asked to run block, Johnson was often seen DEMOLISHING second-level defenders as he paved the way for his running backs.

Without question, Johnson would be an immediate upgrade over any right tackle Oakland currently has on their roster should McKenzie go this route.

This is a strange draft year for tight ends.

Alabama’s O.J. Howard is the consensus #1 TE on analysts big boards . . . but why? Yes, the Crimson Tide run the ball a lot, but Howard’s production is almost laughable when compared to Clemson’s Jordan Leggett or Michigan’s Jake Butt.

On that note, Leggett would be the pick here if he is still available here — but those chances are incredibly slim.

Butt could have easily entered last year’s draft as a rounds two-through-four pick, but decided to return to school. He has soft hands, is ultra reliable, has a nasty streak when blocking, is a great red zone option and plays the game with a high motor making him a natural fit in Oakland.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr would feel as if it were Christmas every time he hits the back of his drop if he got to see the former Wolverine tight end lined up 15 yard away against any linebacker.

Wherever he goes, Butt should be good for 3-7 touchdowns in year-one if selected and used properly.

If Louisville’s DeAngelo Brown is STRONG … GROWN ASS MAN. But if he wasn’t on the board here, I would pick LB Connor Lee out of Lindenwood or another WR to continue spoiling Carr.

But make no mistake, Brown would be a great pick in the fourth round.

The burly DT led the Cardinals with an impressive 14 tackles for loss in 2016. A feat that is damn impressive considering Brown’s size at 320 pounds.

In total, Brown finished the season with 41 tackles and three sacks before benching 225 pounds an incredible 40 times while working out for NFL teams.

If Brown can’t move the line backward,s then I don’t know who ever will.

I don’t care where you play college football, anyone that puts up 1,773 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging almost 8 yards per carry, will always get my full attention.

That’s exactly what Texas El Paso’s running back Aaron Jones did in 2016, and fans shouldn’t be surprised to see him do well at the pro level.

For a guy his size, Jones is a load to try to bring down, often times seen breaking through arm tackles with ease or levying brutal stiff arms against opponents. All eyes will be on his 40-yard dash time, but Jones is a player that plays much faster than he ever will running in spandex for scouts.

Jones’ passion for the game is off the charts, and his small school status combined with his overall relative anonymity could translate into a classic chip-on-the-shoulder success story.

While Hurricanes safety Rayshawn Jenkins has rudimentary instincts and is has proven fairly average in coverage, he is a different dude when stacking the box against the run.

One scout noted, “Looks to punish running backs and receivers over the middle.” another, “He’s not perfect, but come on. He’s big, fast, strong and mean, if you don’t want that then I don’t know what to say.”

Jenkins posted some pretty good numbers with 76 tackles, 4.5 for loss, two picks and seven passes broken up in 2016. Oddly, there aren’t any specific games or plays that any scouts point to when explaining why you should have Jenkins on their roster — but to a man, each made Jenkins’ case.

Oakland already has second year sensation Karl Joseph, reliable backup Nate Allen and the perennial Pro Bowler Reggie Nelson at the position, but nabbing Jenkins in the sixth round signifies that he’ll be used in sub packages and mostly against the run.

Who doesn’t want a 350-pound nose tackle?

Former USC DT Stevie Tu’ikolovatu lived in his car last summer near campus while waiting for housing benefits from the NCAA. He has completed his Mormon mission which will make him a 26-year-old rookie if drafted in April.

Despite delays and challenges, Tu’ikolovatu earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors with his 53 tackles. The former Trojan packs a jarring punch off of the line, is powerful, lives to eat up double teams and is a drain clogger near the goal line.

For the value he presents in the seventh round, Tu’ikolovatu becomes the easiest pick for me in the entire draft.

When it comes to former Louisville WR Jamari Staples, fans should take their pros and cons lists and throw them away — he moves the chains.

In fact, 80 percent of Staples’ catches in his three years with the Cardinals went for first downs.

The 6-foot 3-inch 190-pound wideout could serve as the perfect replacement for long time Raider Andre Holmes should he depart as expected this offseason.

With a majority of the dust having settled from free agency, the Oakland Raiders’ needs have nearly been etched in stone as they enter the 2017 NFL draft.

As such, Raiders Wire aims to fill said needs without moving away from drafting the best player available in our latest seven-round mock draft.

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With the premier inside linebackers already off the board, the Raiders take the best player available and address an overlooked need at right tackle in former Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

Oakland Raiders Mock Draft 2017

A consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten in 2016, Ramczyk led all FBS tackles with an 84.6 run-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus. With said efforts, he helped the Badgers rush for 203.1 yards per game, the third-highest total in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (245.23) and Michigan (212.92).

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Ramczyk’s stellar 2016 season, however, was the only season in which he faced Division I talent, giving reason to his high-risk, high-reward status.

Prior to his 14-game tenure with Wisconsin, Ramczyk suited up with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Division III) for two seasons. He then transferred to Wisconsin to redshirt in 2015 before seeing the field as a starter last season.

At 6-feet, 6-inches, 310 pounds, Ramczyk is a big, physical force capable of anchoring an offensive line at either right or left tackle early in his career if he can carry his Badger dominance into the NFL.