Jon Gruden's first NFL draft since leaving the broadcast booth has been a busy one.
One day after trading back in the first round and making another deal to acquire veteran wide receiver Martavis Bryant
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Oakland began by trading down in the second round and acquiring defensive lineman P.J. Hall from Sam Houston State with the 57th overall pick, then made another deal to move up in the third round to get offensive tackle Brandon Parker.
The Raiders later dealt away two more picks to move up to 87th overall and drafted linebacker Arden Key from LSU.
"I thought (general manager Reggie McKenzie) did a great job pulling the trigger, making some trades last night and today to help us basically get five football players," Gruden said. "It's exciting man, it really is."
The flurry of activity at the Raiders headquarters on the second day of the draft was to be expected as Gruden continues to remake the team in his image. In vintage fashion that would have probably made late owner Al Davis proud, Oakland acquired a pair of players from small schools and a third who has a history of off-field issues.
"My mom called me and she said maybe Mr. Davis was calling down the picks down from heaven," Gruden said.
The Raiders acquired Hall with an eye on improving the interior of their defensive line. Oakland had 31 sacks in 2017, only 1 ? from players playing inside full-time.
Hall should be an immediate help. The 6-foot-1, 310-pounder had 42 sacks in four seasons at Sam Houston State and was the Southland Conference defensive player of the year in 2016.
"I was really surprised
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An edge rusher who alternated between standing up and lining up with his hand on the ground during his first three college seasons, Hall switched to defensive tackle as a senior where his quickness helped make up for a size disadvantage.
The Raiders are thin inside. Eddie Vanderdoes and Justin Ellis were the starters in 2017 but Vanderdoes is coming off a torn ACL in his left knee suffered in Oakland's final regular-season game. Jihad Ward, the 44th overall pick in 2016, has one career sack in 21 games.
