Before the draft we identified the Raiders at No. 24 as a potential landing spot for Alabama running back Josh Jacobs. That’s exactly where he went.
Jacobs, who had a strong career in college, was selected by Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock with the 24th overall pick. The Raiders acquired the pick by trading Khalil Mack to the Bears last year.
Running backs have been devalued in the NFL in recent years, but the Raiders apparently think Jacobs is the kind of talent who’s worth a first-round pick. There were reports that other teams liked him a lot as well.
Jacobs isn’t going to make a Mack-like impact, but then again he won’t have a Mack-like contract, and this pick isn’t the only asset the Raiders got in the Mack trade. So it wouldn’t be fair to compare Jacobs to Mack. It would, however, be fair to compare Jacobs to the other players still available, many of whom play more important positions than running back. Jacobs is going to have to be awfully good to be worth it.