Las Vegas Raiders: 2020 NFL Draft late-round sleeper targets
By Ian Higgins
If the Las Vegas Raiders expect to compete among the other up and coming teams of the AFC, they will need to find talent at both the top and bottom of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Las Vegas Raiders have their own share of issues to address in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, and in a rising AFC West, they can not afford to be left behind by Kansas City, Denver, and even Los Angeles. One way for a team to accelerate their rebuild and acquisition of talent is to find stars who can make a difference in the late rounds of the draft.
Teams such as the New England Patriots have lived off of the middle rounds of the draft for years, finding the players who have either been overshadowed by teammates or are from smaller programs to make the most of their day two and three selections. With Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock leading the charge, Las Vegas needs to find their day two and three stars to create a young core for this roster.
As seen in the Las Vegas Raiders team needs article, the majority of needs for this roster come on the defensive side of the ball. On the offensive side, the only major need for this rushing-based offense on the shoulders of Josh Jacobs is a playmaker at wide receiver. Thankfully, the 2020 NFL Draft class is one of the deepest receiver classes in recent memory, with starting talent through all three days of the draft.
Defensively, all three tiers of the defense could use an injection of youthful talent to build around for the near future. Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby need help to create pressure from the middle of the defensive line, middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict wasted his last opportunity, and no cornerback on the roster is jumping out as a number one corner.