Oakland has three first-round picks

Color Rush Vosean Joseph Jersey , but might they want two top-10 picks?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections NewsNotesOpinionAnalysisDiscussionPodcastNFL DraftSalary CapNFL DraftOpinionAnalysisCould the Oakland Raiders trade up with the Buffalo Bills?New,4commentsOakland has three first-round picks, but might they want two top-10 picks?EDTShareTweetShareShareCould the Oakland Raiders trade up with the Buffalo Bills?The Oakland Raiders have been a little bit all over the place since Jon Gruden took over as their coach and de facto power broker. With the addition of general manager Mike Mayock, the trend has continued.Oakland traded defensive superstar Khalil Mack and wide receiver Amari Cooper plus they acquired Antonio Brown, swinging trades with draft choices left and right. Now Oakland stands with three first-round draft picks (and four in the top 35), but what if they want two top-10 picks instead?What would a Buffalo/Oakland trade look like?Jimmy Johnson Trade ValueAccording to the old Jimmy Johnson draft-value chart, Buffalo’s pick is worth 1350 points. The Raiders’ picks at the bottom of the first round are worth 740 and 680, for a total of 1420.The 70-point difference is equal to Buffalo’s fourth round pick. It’s as clean as you can make it.Buffalo gets 24 and 27 = 1420 pointsOakland gets 9 overall and 4th round pick = 1420 pointsModern Trade ValueIf you’re looking at newer draft charts, it’s slightly different. SB Nation’s Rich Hill used a lot of data analysis to come up with this draft trade chart last year. In this scenario, Buffalo’s pick is worth 387.01 points while Oakland’s lower first round picks are 237.25 and 215.81, a total of 453. Instead, Buffalo would get the final first from Oakland at 27 overall plus the 35th overall pick for a total of 386.18. Buffalo would have three picks in the top 40. To make the trade more appealing, the teams could swap late round selections, with Buffalo moving up a few spots in the 4th or 5th rounds.Buffalo gets 27 and 35 = 386.18 pointsRaiders get 9 overall = 387 pointsOpportunity CostIt’s probably fair to say that the trade would benefit both teams if Buffalo’s top prospects are off the board after a run on defensive players in the top eight picks. If they have five targets and all of them are gone Vosean Joseph Buffalo Bills Jersey , Buffalo could move down and address three needs at offensive tackle, tight end, defensive tackle, and defensive end. Or they could package second day picks to get back up in the first round as they did for Tremaine Edmunds last year. No other team can offer the immediate collateral that Oakland possesses, so you might be more willing to work with the Raiders to get a better return.If you split the difference on the two trades above, Buffalo would get 24 overall and 35 overall. Most fans would be content with that haul if their draft crush is gone at nine. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Thurman Thomas was in the midst of getting taped up before a Bills game at Chicago during his rookie season in 1988 when the running back recognized the unmistakable voice of one of his teenage idols, Walter Payton.“I can still hear it,” Thomas recalled, before attempting to imitate Payton. “Yeah, a high-pitched voice like that: ‘Where’s that little No. 34?'”Thomas certainly knew who Payton was, given the Bears‘ just-retired star running back was one of two people who inspired him to wear No. 34 since high school. The other was Oilers running back Earl Campbell, whom Thomas grew up rooting for in Houston; all three are Pro Football Hall of Famers now.What shocked him was someone such as Payton knowing Thomas even existed, never mind taking the time to search him out before the opening kickoff.“He’s walking in and everybody stopped Vosean Joseph NFL Draft , and it was just like, ‘Holy crap, it’s Walter Payton,'” Thomas said. “I’m still trying to figure out how he knew me. I mean, I’m in Buffalo. I’m a rookie. And he comes in and it’s, ‘Where’s 34?’“And I’m like, ‘I’m over here.'”It won’t be difficult to spot 34 at halftime of Buffalo’s home game against New England on Monday night. That’s when Thomas will become the third Bills player —joining former teammates quarterback Jim Kelly and defensive end Bruce Smith — to have his number retired.For all he accomplished during a 13-year Hall of Fame career, in which he was voted NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1991 and led the league in yards from scrimmage from 1989-92, Thomas considers this one of his most notable achievements.“The more I get closer to it, the more and more I feel like these butterflies are coming into my stomach,” he added. “And I’ve never really felt that way about a lot of things. But, definitely, this is one of them.”Thomas would have preferred being honored during an afternoon game rather than a prime-time spectacle.“I’m not Bruce,” he said Vosean Joseph NFL Jersey , making a joke at the expense of Smith, who had his No. 78 retired during a night game in 2016.His one concern is how the rebuilding and offensively challenged Bills, who have managed just 81 points in a 2-5 record, might fare against Tom Brady and the Patriots (5-2), who have won 31 of the past 36 meetings between the AFC East rivals.“I just wish we could have a better record,” he said.These are certainly not the Bills of Thomas’ 12-season tenure, which included Buffalo playing in four consecutive Super Bowls, losing them all.He previously suggested the Bills might have been cursed for cutting him, Smith and Hall of Fame receiver Andre Reed after the 1999 season. What followed was a 17-year playoff drought, which finally ended last year.Perhaps, Thomas said, his mere presence might spur the Bills to be competitive. Bills veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams certainly hopes so.Williams and his wife treated Thomas and his wife to dinner last week, during which Thomas cited Williams as saying: “Hey, we’re going to do whatever we can to make that night even more special.”Williams didn’t deny being additionally motivated because of Thomas.“That’s the plan Vosean Joseph Jersey Draft , right?” Williams said. “Sure, anybody who knows him, and knows the kind of guy he is, and what he meant and means to this franchise, I think it should motivate you.”The outcome is almost secondary to Thomas, who was busy reflecting back on a career in which his number has already been retired at high school and college.He was motivated to succeed at Oklahoma State once he began sharing the backfield with another eventual Hall of Famer, Barry Sanders.“He kept me on my heels. I couldn’t make any mistakes,” he said. “If we ran 10 sprints, I ran 11.”If it wasn’t for Thomas tearing a left knee ligament before his junior season, he wouldn’t have elected to return for his senior year, when he met his wife, Patti, who just happened to be from Buffalo. Some eight months later, the Bills selected him in the second round.His voice cracks with emotion when reminded no Bills player will ever wear No. 34 again. And no Infant Vosean Joseph Jersey , Thomas said, no one should expect him to suit up one last time.“I’ve been asked that question a lot this week. Oh my gosh, I’m like, ‘People, I’m 52 years old.