Analysis: Could be a bidding war for Raiders' No. 3 pick

Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

The top 10 of the NFL draft Thursday night is expected to get wacky. Just how wacky might depend on two factors: the Oakland Raiders and Lane Johnson.

The expectation is offensive tackles Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher will go 1 and 2, in either order, to the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars. That puts the Raiders on the clock, which opens up a bunch of different possibilities -- including the possibility of offensive tackles going 1, 2 and 3 right off the bat, though it might not be the Raiders who complete the hat trick.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions are interested in Johnson, who has the frame and athleticism to be a franchise left tackle. The Lions' staff coached Johnson during an impressive Senior Bowl week in January and the Eagles had Johnson in for a visit recently. Johnson's athleticism make him a good fit for new coach Chip Kelly's schemes.

So if both teams want Johnson but are wary of one another, it could create a jostling match between Philly (No. 4) and Detroit (No. 5) to get in front of the other squad and into the Raiders' spot at No. 3.

According to recent draft value charts, it would cost the Lions roughly their second-round pick (No. 36 overall) to move up two spots. The Raiders don't have a second-rounder because they traded it (No. 37 overall) to the Cincinnati Bengals as part of the Carson Palmer deal.

They could easily slide back two spots in the first round, pick up the Lions' second-rounder and still grab one of the players many projected to them (linebacker Dion Jordan, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd or defensive end Ziggy Ansah) off the top.

There are other tackle-needy teams who could also be in play for Johnson, such as the Arizona Cardinals (No. 7), San Diego Chargers (No. 11) and Miami Dolphins (No. 12). But they'll have to give up more to move up for Johnson, who seems destined to be a top-5 pick at this point.

If the Lions jump over the Eagles and into the Raiders' spot, it could open the door for the Eagles to slide backward. It will also be good news for Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, who will suddenly look a lot more attractive to Arizona or San Diego.

Sure, this draft doesn't have the sexiness of quarterbacks or skill-position players at the top. But there's already plenty of intrigue about what kind of chaos the offensive tackles – and the Raiders' position of envy at No. 3 – could create.

On Tuesday, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie revealed there have been conversations with other teams about the No. 3 pick -- and, McKenzie added, he hadn't been the one dialing the phone. Trading down to accumulate picks would fit in with McKenzie's rebuilding philosophy.

"We'll do whatever helps the Raiders the most," McKenzie said. "If it's staying there and making the pick, we'll weigh that against what's on the floor. In some cases, the offer may be too good to pass up."

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