They most likely wanted Key. That's why the Raiders jumped up two spots to grab him.
Originally Posted by: Bigbyfan
Its possible Key was the target but I'm not sure for a couple of reasons. First of all it seems to me that you trade up to take the guy you want not trade up just to move up and see who is still there. Unless the Raiders expected the Panthers to grab Key they would have no reason to feel the need to move up two spots. I suppose they could have just felt it was time to make the move just in case the Panthers wanted him or the value was too great that they feared another team would do exactly what we did.
Second, was our trade up with the Panthers announced before the Rams and Raiders made their swap and if so why. Why would we trade up and then make it known before we were on the clock giving the Raiders or any team now behind us time to swing the deal with the team just ahead of us if they figured we were after their guy. Knowledge beforehand or at least a strong suspicion is the only thing that makes sense to me for the Raiders to feel the need to move up when they did.
If in fact we were after Key can you make a trade contingent on our guy being there. Could we have told the Panthers We will make the trade as long as no one before us take Arden Key. If he is off the board the trade is voided. I suspect that would be perfectly legal.
I suppose Key could have been our target and Gute figure the Panthers pick was high enough to get him but why wouldn't he take steps to avoid just what you said most likely happened. I do think Key would have been the better pick there but I have know idea what Gute was thinking. I think Burks was the target all along. It's not like it was completely out of left field as some "experts" did have him as a third round talent even if most of us didn't.
If he was indeed the target then I am totally fine with the move. He likely would have been our day 3 first pick and while most will say he would have been there anyway so we wasted the 5th round pick so Gute essentially gave away a 5th rounder to make sure he got the guy he most wanted. I have no problem with that sort of move by a GM.
I suppose now you will give me a link to comments by Gute (or someone with inside information rather than just speculation) contradicting all I just said and in that case never mind.