The Oakland Raiders have been several years away from really competing ... for several years now. They've watched the other teams in the AFC West rise and fall, from the dominance of the San Diego Chargers to the current field, which has Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on top.
2015 NFL depth charts: Are the Raiders ready to compete yet?
The Oakland Raiders might just be ready to compete in the AFC West after a productive offseason.
Oakland is an afterthought at this point, though there are some who think it’s not too far off from contending. There are some holes on the roster, but the Raiders have actually put together a couple of productive offseasons and seem to be edging closer to being a good team.
Oakland had a productive free agency period, bringing in Dan Williams and Rodney Hudson, and received largely good grades for its work in the 2015 NFL Draft. Oakland having a bad draft is something of an NFL trope at this point, but aside from a few experts, most think the Raiders came out looking pretty good.
There’s still plenty of questions though, and we’ll take a look at a few of them below.
Did they add enough offensive firepower for Carr?
Last season, the Oakland Raiders' leading receivers were Andre Holmes, James Jones and tight end Mychal Rivera. Derek Carr, a rookie quarterback, should be given a medal for what he was able to accomplish with those receivers. Holmes had just under 700 yards, Jones had 666 yards and Rivera had 534 yards. There were plenty of touchdowns with Carr managing 21 of them to just 12 interceptions.
The Raiders brought in Michael Crabtree -- who underperformed in his time with the 49ers -- and spent the No. 4 overall pick on Alabama receiver Amari Cooper. Many called Cooper the safest pick in the draft, and the team also brought in tight end Clive Walford in the third round. Right off the bat, Crabtree and Cooper should be the starters at receiver, with Walford having a chance to usurp Rivera.
Is there enough protection for Carr?
Sure, the Raiders appear to have added enough firepower for Carr, but what about the offensive line? Stefen Wisniewski departed in free agency, and the Raiders badly need a starting right guard. The team signed Hudson in free agency, and he is definitely the starter at center.
The big question mark is Miami guard Jon Feliciano, whom the Raiders took with the No. 128 overall pick. Feliciano is a versatile offensive lineman who primarily played center in college, but smart money is on him winning the battle for the starting right guard spot. It would be disappointing if he had to make due with being Hudson's backup, even if it's just initially.
Can Edwards start right away?
Oakland spent its second-round pick on Florida State defensive end Mario Edwards. This was a divisive pick, and if you look over grades of Oakland's draft class, you'll find that experts take biggest issue with Oakland picking Cooper over Leonard Williams and the selection of Edwards in the second round. That isn't to say that nobody is a fan, it's just that he's not a sure-fire starter, from the onset or going forward.
That said, the Raiders will likely give Edwards every opportunity to start on a defensive line that also includes Williams, Justin Ellis and Justin Tuck. It's a solid defensive line, but if Edwards lives up to his potential, then it gets taken to the next level. Can he reach that potential, and as a rookie? That's a big question.
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