The Raiders Solving One Problem Solves Many Other

The Las Vegas Raiders spent most of the past two seasons as a passing team, as their ground game was largely ineffective. Over that time, the Raiders have consistently been one of the worst rushing teams in the National Football League, undoubtedly hampering the offense.

The Raiders' struggles at quarterback were made worse by their inability to run the football. Those two issues derailed a Raiders offense that unquestionably had talented players. Still, the Raiders must find a way to improve their roster this offseason, even more than they already have.

If this past season's 4-13 campaign taught the Raiders anything, it should have been the value of having competent depth players. Having an extremely talented handful of players on a unit is not necessarily better than an all-around talented team that plays well and can stay healthy.

Reese Decker of the Pro Football Network released his most recent mock draft featuring projections for each team's picks in the first three rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft. Decker believes the Raiders' moves early in free agency gives them added flexibility in the draft.

"The Raiders’ trade for Geno Smith effectively removes them from the first-round quarterback conversation. Much like Smith and 73-year-old head coach Pete Carroll did in Seattle, the Raiders will look to win with an efficient offense built around a strong rushing attack," Decker said.