The Oakland Raiders are clearly being run by someone new. Rarely if ever have the Raider Nation seen their team trade back and get extra picks when they think their guy will still be around. Many thought that the Raiders should have done just that when they took Darrius Heyward-Bey. Now, under Reggie McKenzie, the Raiders are not afraid to trade back and get more picks as they did with their first 5th round pick.
The Raiders traded the number 148 pick in the 2012 draft for the number 158th pick and the 230th pick. This way, the Raiders likely still got the guy they wanted in Jack Crawford, defensive end out of Penn State, but also have another pick in the 7th round to add even more players to the team.
Meanwhile, Crawford is a development project who could have an impact as a rookie. While Crawford has a good amount of work to do before he is capable of playing consistently at the NFL level, he has enough pass rush skills that the Raiders will be able to use him occasionally on passing downs. Crawford will add some much needed depth to the defensive line and has the potential to develop into a starting lineman a few years down the line.
Reggie McKenzie just keeps impressing with his draft picks. His ability to find guys who can contribute and have value as rookies while also having the potential to develop into a starter down the line is nothing short of brilliant. Now with another pick later in the draft, we will see if he can continue to find diamonds in the rough late in the 2012 NFL draft.