The 2013 Raiders Draft Picks

Not making any assumptions on possible trades or compensatory picks for 2013, the Raiders currently own the following picks:

Round 1 - Raider Owned
Round 2 - Traded to Cincinnati (QB Carson Palmer)
Round 3 - Raider Owned
Round 4 - Raider Owned
Round 5 - Traded to Seattle (OLB Aaron Curry, now cut)
Round 6 - Raider Owned
Round 7 - Gained from Carolina (WR Louis Murphy)
Round 7 - Raider Owned

The 1st and the 3rd Round are the two spots where Oakland are looking to find impact players.  They could end up just being depth guys as they develop in 2013, but GM Reggie McKenzie's philosophy with the first two picks is going to be interesting.  Some say he'll go Best Player Available (BPA), some say he'll draft more to need...that would be a stud at Defensive Tackle, or a Pass Rusher off the edge at Defensive End or Outside Linebacker.  Reggie could also go Corner or Left Tackle (Moving current Left Tackle Jared Veldheer to Right Tackle...assuming he loses his job in camp to the incoming rookie).

Obviously, not having the 2nd Round pick is huge right now with Oakland trying to rebuild, however they do get a franchise QB for the next few years in Carson Palmer.  The trade for Palmer also cost the Raiders their 2012 First Round pick which could have been somebody like current Patriots DE Chandler Jones or Steelers OG David DeCastro (who was unfortunately injured early this season).

So there's the idea of a trade down with another team.  The idea is that there are several teams who might look to trade up and take one of the many potential franchise Left Tackles in the 2013 NFL Draft.  Among these players include Texas A&M's Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews, Michigan's Taylor Lewan and Central Michigan's Eric Fisher.  Defensive impact players include Ohio State DT Johnathan Hankins, Utah DT Star Lotulelei, Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones, Florida State DE Bjoern Werner, Alabama CB Dee Milliner, Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o, Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore, and LSU DE Barkevious Mingo.  Throw in the possibility that somebody falls in love with a QB here and there...like USC's Matt Barkley, West Virginia's Geno Smith, Arkansas' Tyler Wilson, NC State's Mike Glennon, Syracuse's Ryan Nassib and Miami (OH)'s Zac Dysert...and you're looking at a lot of possibilities for a trade down with Oakland.  The question is if Reggie McKenzie can get a buyer for their pick, HOW MUCH CAN REGGIE GET IN RETURN.

What Oakland really needs with a possible trade down is a King's Ransom like the St. Louis Rams got when they let Washington move up to take Robert Griffin III.  There isn't a player of RGIII's caliber at the top of the draft however (franchise QB), so getting any more than swapping 1st's and gaining a 2nd...maybe a mid-round 2013 pick or high 2014 pick, is not likely.

GM Reggie McKenzie recently suspended former 2010 1st Round ILB Rolando McClain for two games (without pay) for conduct detrimental to the team.  McClain is all but out of Oakland come season's end.

(All of this means nothing if the Mayan "Prophecy" turns out to be true...)