The Raiders’ draft-day game plan is shrouded in more secrecy than the plot of “Avengers: Endgame.”
On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who first reported Friday that head coach Jon Gruden and new GM Mike Mayock had sent their scouts home ahead of Thursday’s NFL draft, revealed Oakland is looking to make a “surprise” selection with the fourth-overall pick.
“From what I understand, what the Raiders are looking at is some sort of surprise pick at No. 4 that would necessitate absolute secrecy,” Rapoport noted.
The Raiders are stacked with first-round picks, including the No. 24 selection from the Bears and the No. 27 pick from the Cowboys, stemming from the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades, respectively.
While no one — except for the Raiders’ braintrust — knows whom Oakland will select at No. 4, Gruden has long been infatuated with Oklahoma product Kyler Murray, who may be off the board by then, should Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury draft the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at No. 1.
Mayock, however, recently endorsed current Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, amid chatter the organization was allegedly shopping him.
“We’ve got a young quarterback that we think is a franchise quarterback that’s going to be 28 in March, so we’re pretty happy with where we are,” Mayock said at the combine.
Ready or not, the Raiders will soon be on the clock.