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Oakland Raiders are pushing hard for this draft prospect

By Erik Lambert

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 10: Head coach Jon Gruden (L) and Owner Mark Davis (R) of the Oakland Raiders talking with each other while looking on as their team warms up prior to the start of a preseason NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 10: Head coach Jon Gruden (L) and Owner Mark Davis (R) of the Oakland Raiders talking with each other while looking on as their team warms up prior to the start of a preseason NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Oakland Raiders appear to be a team that is angling to win in 2019. Their ultra aggressive maneuvers so far this offseason say that much.

They traded for Antonio Brown, signed Trent Brown, and have made a slew of other additions to the roster. All this before the NFL draft where they have three picks in the 1st round alone thanks to their trades a year ago involving Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. If they are able to turn those selections into good players? The AFC West could be theirs for the taking.

None is more important though than that #4 selection to start the draft. That’s the one they absolutely cannot afford to mishandle. Thus they’ve been hard at work determining which of the top prospects they may want to make their guy. There are plenty of rumors about who that may be. Some think it’s a new quarterback to help them move on from Derek Carr.

According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report though, all of that is a smokescreen. There is only one name on their list based on what he’s heard.

"“With the signings of Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict, the Raiders bought themselves time at linebacker. This frees the team up to draft the best player on the board and the one it really wanted all along: Alabama’s Quinnen Williams.Just last week, a highly connected personnel executive hinted the Raiders could still select White at No. 4 overall, but that Williams was the more coveted of the two. That’s where the smart money is right now.So why are the Raiders working out quarterbacks? It’s obvious. They’re hoping someone trades up to No. 3 overall to select a quarterback, which will push Quinnen Williams to them.”"

Quinnen Williams no doubt gives Jon Gruden Warren Sapp visions

Jon Gruden is a creature of habit at this point. He’s an old football coach who aims to do what worked for him so many years ago when he won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That team was driven by great defense, and that great defense had a core of Hall of Fame talent. None greater than defensive tackle Warren Sapp. He was the most dominant interior defensive lineman of his generation, retiring with 96.5 sacks.

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Williams is considered by many to be made of similar pedigree. A strong, athletic defensive tackle who can stop the run but is even more dangerous as an interior pass rusher. Putting him together with Maurice Hurst would give the Raiders defensive front an entirely new look. One that could set them up for a dominant run in the future if Williams ended up being the real deal.

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