Raiders GM: Team focused on edge rushers, defense ahead of draft

Armed with three first-round picks, new general manager Mike Mayock could define his tenure with the Oakland Raiders at the 2019 NFL Draft, and he hinted at his draft strategy Saturday.

The rebuilding Raiders hold the No. 4, No. 24, and No. 27 selections in the upcoming draft and Mayock indicated during the Senior Bowl that finding talented edge rushers would be a priority this spring.

"Are we focused in on defensive ends at (the Senior Bowl)? Of course," Mayock said, according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports. "We'd be dumb if we weren't. But we need pretty much everything on defense. We're looking at every position."

The pass rush struggled mightily after Oakland traded Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears prior to the start of the season. The Raiders recorded a league-worst 13 sacks in 2018, a ghastly figure considering the 30th-ranked New England Patriots and New York Giants posted 30 sacks each.

Oakland held extensive meetings with players from both the North and South teams at the Senior Bowl, according to Bair.

"We have some guys who we're watching, guys who we're moving around on the line," Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said.

The Raiders hired Mayock as their general manager on Dec. 31. It's his first executive role in any capacity after previously working as a draft analyst for NFL Network.

Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.