Raiders draft rumors: Oakland looking to trade down, reportedly disinterested in Sharrif Floyd

The Raiders have long been rumored to covet Floyd, but they’ve reportedly waned on him, and are now interested in either trading the pick or drafting someone else.

by Rodger Sherman

Apr 25, 2013, 9:17 PM UTC

USA TODAY Sports

The Raiders apparently are scheming surrounding their No. 3 overall pick in Thursday night’s NFL Draft. DraftInsider.net reports the team is looking to trade down, and that even if they can’t, they won’t be interested in Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd as many have projected.

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Floyd and the Raiders have been linked over and over again. When SB Nation’s Dan Kadar put together his final mock draft -- shifting Eric Fisher into the top pick as the Chiefs apparently decided he’s the guy at No. 1 -- he had Floyd going third overall. But Draft Insider’s report indicates the Raiders are changing their minds:

I continue to hear the Oakland Raiders want to move from the third slot in the draft ... I’m told the Raiders are unlikely to draft Shariff Floyd, even if they can’t move down from the third slot. As one source close to the situation told me earlier today, “the mock draft community is overrating Shariff Floyd.” Word is the Tennessee Titans at 10 look like a good fit.Floyd would be somewhat of an odd pick for the Raiders, especially if fellow defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Sheldon Richardson are still on the board. So that leaves two questions: who’s interested in trading up, and if the Raiders can’t find any takers on a trade, who will they take if not Floyd?

There’s a lot of potential answers to the first question, especially with the high likelihood that Luke Joeckel -- long thought to be the first overall pick -- could still be on the board if the Chiefs take Fisher. It won’t be the Browns, but there’s a strong possibility it’s the Dolphins. Draft Insider claims the Lions and Cardinals are potential options.

As for the second question? Lotulelei seems to be the likely choice, as Mocking the Draft’s Matthew Fairburn guesses.