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NFL Power Rankings: 2017 Pre-NFL Draft Look at All 32 Teams

By Peter Panacy

May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a helmet, NFL shield, stage, and podium before the start of the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a helmet, NFL shield, stage, and podium before the start of the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) gestures before the snap against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) gestures before the snap against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

. 12-4. . Oakland Raiders. 4. team. 28

Guess what, Raiders Nation. Quarterback Derek Carr will be back and healthy to lead Oakland into the 2017 campaign.

That alone pushes the Raiders up nicely in our NFL power rankings.

He’ll have motivation too. With the news of the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas, Carr and Co. will want to take every shot to give Northern California Raiders fans a Super Bowl run.

Offensively, Oakland is about set to do this. The offensive line could use a bit of help, as could the running game. While veteran Marshawn Lynch’s status with the team — will he be picked up or not — remains in flux, the Raiders’ next great runner is likely to be found via the NFL Draft.

The same goes for the secondary as well.

Last year, Oakland got by with patchwork pieces in the defensive backfield. While cornerback Sean Smith was a nice offseason pickup a year ago, he needs help on the opposite side. And it wouldn’t hurt for the Raiders to add some promising pieces along their defensive line either.

Fortunately, the NFL Draft is deep at each one of these respective spots, which means general manager Reggie McKenzie shouldn’t have any trouble adding on to one of the more successful NFL rebuilding projects in recent history.