The Raiders took three players in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but according to one NFL writer, the second of those three is in the best position to succeed next season.
It's not defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who was taken with the No. 4 overall pick.
No, it's running back Josh Jacobs, who the Raiders selected with the No. 24 overall pick.
NFL.com's Dan Parr ranked his top 25 rookies who are "in the best position to kick some butt this season" and had Jacobs No. 8 on the list, in a segment dubbed "Greatness within reach."
Here's what Parr wrote about Jacobs:
"It's a good thing Jacobs didn't lose a lot of tread off his tires at Alabama, because we suspect he's in for a heavy workload, courtesy of Jon David Gruden. He's going to be the man in that backfield and is the prototypical every-down back. Now, is that offensive line as improved as some think?"
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[RELATED: Gruden wants Martin to mentor Jacobs]
Parr did not list Ferrell or fellow first-round pick safety Johnathan Abram in his rankings.
Jacobs is expected to step in and be the feature running back for the Raiders, so he has a chance to put up monster numbers. Ferrell was drafted higher than most analysts thought he would be, so there might be a learning curve for him.
