The Raiders offense is stacked. It was before this offseason, when tight end Jared Cook, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse entered the mix.
Then Marshawn Lynch signed up on Wednesday and filled the last immediate offensive need.
The Raiders have talent and depth at most every offensive position, contrasting the defensive depth chart.
The Raiders need help there, possibly with a few instant impact players taken in this weekend's NFL draft. The first round starts Thursday evening, with the next two rounds Friday afternoon and the remainder of this draft starting Saturday morning.
Despite clear needs, Reggie McKenzie says position is secondary to his ranking system.
"We're going to take the best player," McKenzie said in his pre-draft press conference. "There are some good defensive players in this draft, but we're going to follow our board like always."
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The Raiders general manager says that could lead to an unexpected draft haul. At least he tried.
"Don't be surprised if I draft all offensive players," McKenzie said, unable to keep a straight face. "How about that?"
McKenzie knows his roster is strong, with clearly identifiable needs on defense. The Raiders need a starting inside linebacker. They need a slot cornerback. They need help rushing on the defensive interior. They need safety help.
McKenzie tried to fix some of those areas in free agency, but could find a match beyond weakside linebacker Jelani Jenkins. The draft offers the best opportunity to upgrade on defense, and volume could help fix that unit.
"Hopefully we can get a couple of defensive players that can help our team," McKenzie said. "But, like we both said, we just want to help this football team, regardless of who comes at a spot whether it's first or seventh round. And hopefully we get some good players after the draft. That's the plan, we just want to keep stocking and let the chips fall."
This draft is critical as the Raiders enter a new phase. He deconstructed the roster and reconstructed it while getting right with the salary cap. Now they need to extend members of the awesome 2014 draft class, including quarterback Derek Carr, guard Gabe Jackson and edge rusher Khalil Mack. Drafted quality must continue to cycle through to keep the team strong and the team's competitive window open.
McKenzie must keep an eye on the horizon, though a few more quality players could push his unit into serious contention for a conference title.
"What we want as a team moving forward, we just want more impact players," McKenzie said. "You can never have enough playmakers on both sides of the ball and depth on both sides. That's when you come in and try to get you the best player who can do those things. We're not just going to plug holes if that's what you're asking. We're going to get some good football players regardless of who we have here."
