There's no denying the Oakland Raiders are a work in progress.
Despite some promising signs last season, including important contributions from young building blocks like quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack, the Raiders and new head coach Jack Del Rio have a ways to go before they can consider themselves a complete, let alone elite, NFL franchise.
To that end, the 2015 NFL Draft presents a phenomenal opportunity to continue along their rebuilding path and add some pieces who will directly aid both Carr and Mack for the foreseeable future.
The Raiders, desperate for a pass-rush complement across from Mack, reportedly sent a large contingent to South Carolina on Friday to work out former Clemson linebacker/defensive end Vic Beasley.
"#Raiders, with No. 4 pick, sent a 4-person contingent that included DC Ken Norton to workout #Clemson pass-rusher Vic Beasley today," Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted.
Beasley failed a drug test at the NFL scouting combine, which is likely to impact his 2015 NFL Draft stock significantly. Whether it drops him out of the first-round or simply into its middle or latter stages remains to be seen, but it's likely the Raiders would have a shot at him either if they traded back in the first - GM Reggie McKenzie's reported preference - or potentially at the top of the second-round or via a trade back into the latter portion of the draft's initial round.
Beasley is a silky, fluid athlete with tremendous length and athleticism. It'd just be up to the Raiders brass to determine where he fits best in their scheme - though moving him around the defensive front certainly seems a possible option.
As for the offensive side of the ball and Carr, the Raiders tried hard to add more weapons for him via the NFL free agency period. They were able to snag Michael Crabtree, but that's not nearly enough for a Raiders team that also missed out on DeMarco Murray and Jermaine Gresham.
One player that could prove a potentially perfect fit for the Raiders and Carr is USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who, despite a recent rise up media draft boards, seems set to be available in the second-round.
"The Raiders could make this irrelevant and take either Cooper or White with the fourth pick, and we'd have absolutely no problem with that choice," writes Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports. "But if they go a different direction and still could land a talent such as Agholor at the top of Round 2, it would be a huge stroke of luck. GM Reggie McKenzie wanted to make Randall Cobb his No. 1 receiver, and Agholor has the same type of makeup, able to play in the slot or as an 'X' wideout and be a huge asset for QB Derek Carr."
Agholor is another silky-smooth athlete with fantastic run-after-the-catch skills. He's primarily a slot man - as Edholm notes, the role the team likely envisioned for Cobb - and also has added value as a returner.
While the Raiders may very well go with Amari Cooper or Kevin White at No. 4, should they wait on a receiver, Agholor seems as though he'd prove quite a nice fallback option.
