2014 NFL mock draft: WR Sammy Watkins to Oakland Raiders with 5th pick

If anything, the 2014 offseason has shown that the Oakland Raiders have intentions of making some drastic changes on how they plan to be successful. By jettisoning contracts that were not worth their merit and letting a number of players leave, the Raiders have found themselves with the most salary cap room of any team in the league. In doing so they also created a number of holes to fill before they even think about showing up to play next fall.

As a result of this, Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie has signed players like Matt Schaub, MJD, James Jones, Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley, and Antonio Smith so that head coach Dennis Allen can have a shot of putting a competitive team on the field.

This pick is tough because Schaub (despite having five straight seasons with a passer rating above 90 up until last year) is probably not the long term answer and Terrelle Pryor does not look to have much promise. There are also needs on defense that could be addressed with this pick.

Clemson WR Sammy Watkins

However, with Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins still available the Raiders must pull the trigger on a player that is as much of a "sure thing" as possible. Watkins may not have ideal size, but he is the epitome of a complete receiver and he does not have a glaring weakness. At 6'1'' 210 pounds and with 4.4 speed, Watkins has the ability to accelerate rapidly, go vertical to grab the ball, and produce after the catch. All of this packaged into one receiver make him a very dangerous man.

While Oakland does have a number of areas that could be addressed here it only makes sense to provide Schaub with a true number one wide receiver to complement the other weapons they have on offense.

2014 Arrowhead Pride mock draft order:

1. Houston Texans (kuchiefs13) - South Carolina DE / LB Jadeveon Clowney
2. St. Louis Rams (chiefsman7588) - Auburn OT Greg Robinson
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (Steve The Hedge) - Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater
4. Cleveland Browns (NigerianNightmare) - Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel
5. Oakland Raiders (seein'red) - Clemson WR Sammy Watkins
6. Atlanta Falcons (chiefstruelove)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (kswanson)
8. Minnesota Vikings (kcsno56)
9. Buffalo Bills (Aesthist)
10. Detroit Lions (BuckTheFroncos)
11. Tennessee Titans (mrchiefs101)
12. New York Giants (Akr_baby)
13. St. Louis Rams (chiefsman7588)
14. Chicago Bears (Ben Mitchum)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (SacramentoDrew)
16. Dallas Cowboys (LocoGonzo)
17. Baltimore Ravens (Ben S)
18. New York Jets (Kdub64)
19. Miami Dolphins (SayHeyWerd)
20. Arizona Cardinals (Koopaztown)
21. Green Bay Packers (kaiser1118)
22. Philadelphia Eagles (Matt in KC)
23. Kansas City Chiefs (R2J)
24. Cincinnati Bengals (Robert Mayes)
25. San Diego Chargers (TheDudeAbides007)
26. Cleveland Browns (NigerianNightmare)
27. New Orleans Saints (BeeRadd)
28. Carolina Panthers (citadelchief)
29. New England Patriots (death2norm)
30. San Francisco 49ers (Smitty713)
31. Denver Broncos (craig in calgary)
32. Seattle Seahawks (misterbrain)