ALAMEDA – The Raiders enjoyed Sunday's 23-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on its own. It was a morale boost for those working tirelessly to prepare, and that much was clear in a festive postgame locker room.
The Silver and Black's draft positioning didn't appreciate it. It didn't like the Dallas Cowboys or Chicago Bears winning, either.
All three Raiders first-round draft picks got worse Sunday. Picks earned from the Khalil Mack (Chicago) and Amari Cooper (Dallas) trades are taking significant hits from winning streaks brought about, at least in part, by guys the Raiders traded away.
That's a rough turn all the way around, especially after ceding the No. 1 overall pick to the 49ers.
Here's a look at the Raiders draft order after Week 11's action:
No. 2 overall (Last week: No. 1)
How it was earned:The Raiders didn't fall far, but adding more wins with the NFL cellar tightly packed could spell trouble for the Raiders being able to choose the player at the top of their draft board. They need a pass rusher something fierce.
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Winnable games on the Raiders remaining schedule are hard to find, but they could steal a few more before the season ends. Stranger things have happened.
Not many, but some.
No. 16 overall (Last week: No. 14)
How it was earned: The Cowboys crawled back to .500, and could surge down the stretch in a wide-open NFC East lacking quality teams now that Washington quarterback Alex Smith is done for the year.
The Raiders want the Cowboys to start losing, and Dallas needs more trademark team turmoil to get that done.
No. 25 overall (Last week 23)
How it was earned: The Bears are posing a real problem, and proving why the Raiders were a bit hasty in dealing Mack before the regular season started. Believing Chicago would be bad was part of the reason why Mack was traded to Chicago, though Mack made the Bears defense excellent.
The Bears are steamrolling toward the playoffs, and possibly an NFC North title, meaning this draft pick could stay low.
