For the second straight year, the Oakland Raiders have mad an apparent reach for a defensive lineman in the second round of the NFL Draft. Reprising a familiar storyline to Raiders fans and draft analysts by selecting a player who was viewed as a late second round, early third round talent in the first half of Round 2.
After succeeding with the selection of Mario Edwards Jr. in 2015, the Raiders again went for defensive line help in the second round by selecting Jihad Ward from Illinois with the 44th overall selection. An interesting pick for a player who has physical tools, but is not viewed as a plug and play type of prospect.