Raiders Draft Rumors 2013: Floyd, Ansah, Fisher On Oakland's Wish List?

With the 2013 NFL Draft set to get underway on Thursday, all 32 teams are narrowing down their final draft board.

The Oakland Raiders will have more options than most, as they draft third overall. It’s an important pick for the Raiders, who won just four games last season and didn’t have a first-round selection in 2012.

Oakland has several needs after missing the playoffs for the past decade. The trade for Carson Palmer didn’t work out as the organization had hoped, and they enter the 2013 with very few potential Pro Bowlers on the roster.

At No.3 overall, the Raiders have a few potential NFL stars on their radar.

Sharrif Floyd

Most mock drafts have the Raiders selecting the defensive tackle from Florida with their first-round pick.

Oakland lost both Desmond Bryant and Richard Seymour this offseason, and Floyd could help plug in one of the team’s biggest holes for the 2013 season. Taking Floyd would allow the Raiders to draft based on need and still end up with one of the top prospects in this year’s class.

The former Gator recorded 13 tackles for a loss in 2012 and had two sacks in the Sugar Bowl against Louisville. His large frame and potential to improve make him the most likely choice for Oakland at No.3.

Eric Fisher

It’d be hard for Oakland to go wrong by selecting Fisher with their first pick.

Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel is projected to be the top overall pick in the draft, but Fisher isn’t far behind him, in terms of talent. The offensive tackle has been discussed as a possibility to be taken by the Kansas City Chiefs at No.1. The biggest reason why he may not go to Oakland is because the Jacksonville Jaguars have been projected by many experts to take the Central Michigan product at No.2.

Fisher may be the safest picks in the entire draft.

Ezekiel Ansah

The BYU product is the definition of a high-risk, high-reward player.

As a 6’5 defensive end that can run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, he may be the most talented prospect in the draft. In 2012 he recorded 13 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and nine pass deflections.

Ansah, however, didn’t start playing organized football until 2010. He has a lot to learn about the game and may have trouble adjusting to the NFL right away.

Oakland may take a chance on improving a depleted defensive line and draft “Ziggy” at No.3, if the organization feels he has the potential to be a star.