The Oakland Raiders have been mentioned in potential trade rumors heading into the NFL draft and the San Francisco 49ers could be an option, as the Niners have a boatload of draft picks coming into the event and if they want to draft Johnny Manziel or Mike Evans, trading up with Oakland could fit, especially if players like Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack, Blake Bortles and Greg Robinson are gone by the time Reggie McKenzie is on the clock.
The Niners have the ammunition to make a big move up in the draft and they are already expected to make at least one trade and as it gets closer, a deal with the Raiders could gain some steam. Jim Harbaugh has made it clear that he likes Johnny Manziel and on top of that, the team desperately needs a third receiver behind Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree and a player like Evans could be a perfect fit with his size and speed. Jim Harbaugh loves players like Manziel and Evans and he has shown in the past that he is not afraid to trade up for a player he likes.
That is one reason why the 49ers always stock up draft picks, as they have the flexibility to move up and they did that with Colin Kaepernick and they did it last season with Eric Reid and now it could play out again. According to ESPN.com, the Raiders will look to make a deal if their top players on the board are gone by the fifth pick and some other options to trade up includes the Atlanta Falcons, Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.
The 49ers have the chance to make a big move, as they have 12 draft picks coming into things and with Mike Evans as a potential target, the team could do it. The Niners can't add 12 names to their roster and that is why some type of deal is most likely and they have three seventh round picks to deal along with two that can be traded from the first round and in a draft like this, those are very valuable since this is a deep class. The team has three picks within selections 30 through 61 and that gives the team a chance to move up and names like Manziel and Mike Evans could be possible for Jim Harbaugh.
The Raiders are a good fit for a Niners trade, as they have a clear eye on who they want in the draft and with just seven picks coming in, if the players they like in the top five are gone, they easily could jump out and trade down. Last year Reggie McKenzie traded out of the top three and picked DJ Hayden, a player he said that the team wanted anyway, and now they could do it again if Blake Bortles, Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins or Khalil Mack are gone by the time the team picks. The team has three in the seventh and the fifth pick in the first round and that is an option for the Raiders.
The Raiders have some major decision to make and this comes after the team went 4-12 over the past two seasons and is looking to improve.
