Back in 2019, the Las Vegas Raiders had three first-round picks, beaucoup assets to rebuild their roster.
What they wound up doing with those three selections should serve as a cautionary tale for other teams. To start, none of the three players chosen–defensive end Clelin Ferrell, running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram–had their fifth-year options picked up by the franchise
On Tuesday, the Raiders cut Abram, who saw his playing time take a precipitous fall the last two weeks after starting the team’s first six games. Ferrell, meanwhile, is a special teamer and rotational player on the defensive line who has never lived up to his lofty draft status.
As for Jacobs, he’s been a stud since Day 1 and is currently among the league leaders in rushing yards this season.
However, there is the question about the positional value of a running back, and again, the Raiders have already declined to pick up Jacobs’ fifth-year option for 2023.
As bad as that 2019 first-round haul was, the Raiders might have been able to withstand it if they had drafted better in the ensuing years.
Instead, look at what they did in 2020 and 2021.
What a disaster. There are a number of reasons why after going 10-7 and making the playoffs in 2021, the Raiders have slipped back to 2-6 this season and are going nowhere.
One of the main ones is their inability to draft competently over multiple years.