Raiders draft Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood in first round of NFL Draft

The Raiders went straight for need Thursday night with the surprise selection of Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood with the 17th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Rest assured it will be greeted with skepticism, after draft analysts expected Leatherwood to be picked later in the first round or perhaps the second.

Leatherwood, 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds, was projected as a guard by some but will likely compete to start at the vacant right tackle position.

Tackles who went off the draft board earlier in the first round were Penei Sewell to the Detroit Lions, Rashawn Slater to the Chargers and Alijah Vera-Tucker to the New York Jets at No. 14. Vera-Tucker is expected to play guard for the Jets.

A three-year starter at Alabama, Leatherwood is considered strong and steady but not necessarily explosive. In their previous two drafts, the Raiders made what were considered at the time first-round reaches with defensive end Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 and cornerback Arnette at No. 19 last season.

On the other hand, there were similar criticisms when the Raiders took Kolton Miller at No. 15 overall at UCLA and he’s developed into a foundational player at left tackle.

Once Vera-Tucker was off the board, the Raiders could have considered the possibility of trading back in the first round and still have gotten Leatherwood, although it’s impossible to know if another team had designs on the same player.

The draft opened with a record seven consecutive offensive players to open the draft before the Carolina Panthers selected South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn at No. 8.

The first moment of drama came at No. 3, after Jacksonville and the New York Jets did as expected and took Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, respectively. The 49ers, who had sent smoke signals for weeks that their man was Mac Jones of Alabama, instead took Trey Lance of North Dakota State as their quarterback of the future.

The offensive trend continued when the Falcons took Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, who has been compared with the Raiders’ Darren Waller in terms of skill set, followed by the Bengals getting LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, the Dolphins taking Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at No. 6 and the Detroit Lions selecting Sewell at No. 7.

The first collective social media groan among Raiders fans came at No. 12, when the Dallas Cowboys took Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

Dallas had traded with Philadelphia from No. 10 to No. 12, receiving a third-round draft pick for moving back two spots.

— The Raiders reportedly signed placekicker Daniel Carlson, who had been tendered at a second-round level as a restricted free agent. Carlson tied for the NFL lead in scoring with 144 points.