The Raiders added a slew of players to their roster this offseason, many of whom could be described as seasoned NFL veterans in the back half of their careers.
Many drew a line from those additions to the need for General Manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen to build a winning team this season so that they could hold onto their jobs into 2015. McKenzie may be feeling that pressure, but he said Thursday that he’s not focused on looking for players who will help the team right away.
“You draft for the future,” McKenzie said, via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group. “You don’t draft for right now. That’s not the way you do it. That’s not the way I do it.”
Ideally, a team in the Raiders’ position would get some immediate help while also building for the future but it’s hard to argue with the long view espoused by McKenzie. The Raiders have seven picks and could pick up more by trading down in the first round for the second straight year, something that McKenzie is open to doing if the right offer should come along.
McKenzie also said he expects the Raiders to be better this year, with or without a lot of help from the draft class. However things wind up going next week, they’d better be if McKenzie’s going to run another draft in 2015.