The Oakland Raiders traded their 2012 second round pick during the 2011 NFL draft in order to get a third round and a fourth round pick in that draft. With those two picks, the Raiders took Joseph Barksdale and Taiwan Jones respectively. As always, it is fun to look at what could have been with that second round pick. Unlike the first round pick that the Raiders combined with a 2013 pick in order to get Carson Palmer, this pick went towards drafting two players. There are two guys that I think could have been big time upgrades for the Raiders in defensive tackle Kendall Reyes and offensive tackle Mike Adams.
Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut The Raiders have struggled against the run for years now and Reyes could help with his ability to get behind the line of scrimmage and break up plays before they even begin. He is also versatile and can play in a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense. Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State Adams is a beast of a man standing a 6'6 and weighing 320 pounds and is surprisingly agile for that size, so he would be good fit for the zone blocking scheme. The Raiders are in need of a tackle to replace starting right tackle Khalif Barnes, who is a stop gap at best. Adams is a guy who might need a year or two to develop, but can be a starting caliber tackle in the NFL. If Adams was able to challenge Barnes for a starting spot, it would be better than Barksdale has been able to do so far. There is hope that he will challenge for the spot this season, but that is yet to be seen. Kendall Reyes fills a need at defensive tackle, but with the departure of Michael Bush in the off season and Darren McFadden's injury issues, the need for depth at running back is much more important. On top of that, two guys for one tends to be better, especially when you are as desperate for bodies as the Raiders are right now.