NFL Mock Draft 2.0: Week 16 Brings Massive Trading

This one drew some reaction, all right. For many, drafting the best player available on defense is the only selection to be made this year. And when you dissect the depth chart, you’d probably be correct in noting that on paper, taking a top-tier defender makes a whole lot of sense for Oakland’s short and long-term plans.

But, the idea of McCaffrey playing on the Oakland offense was too appealing to not capitalize upon. I understand the natural arguments against this selection and wouldn’t tell you that you were wrong if you proposed that this doesn’t make sense on the surface — I understand it doesn’t. But with a young QB, the only thing more important than beefing up the offensive front is inserting a running back that gives a long-term boost to the rushing attack.

It’s not the conventional selection, but one that will turn heads for all the right reasons. McCaffrey’s name is a flashy one in this year’s cycle, and many will accuse mock drafters of inserting him into the first round because of name recognition alone. In this case, that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s a stud, and it’s likely that the Raiders already are putting the idea together on the table.