The Oakland Raiders are moving to Las Vegas and should be there by around 2020, depending on when their new stadium is built. To celebrate their new home, the Raiders executives will head to Las Vegas during the third day of the 2017 NFL Draft. The Raiders will then make all their day three picks in front of the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. This sign is a short distance from where the new Las Vegas Raiders stadium will be built.
The Oakland Raiders 2017 NFL Draft plans
The plan for the Oakland Raiders is to make sure that fans can see exactly where they will be playing in three years time.
While the city of Oakland wants the Raiders gone as soon as possible, it will take a while to build the $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium in Las Vegas before the move. The 2017 NFL Draft will give them a chance to promote their new home as they look for fans to welcome them into Vegas. The only thing that might bother the Raiders is that fans in Oakland might already feel jilted and the showing off of the Las Vegas Sign during the NFL Draft might push them even further away, making the next three seasons difficult for the team.
Oakland Raiders trying to grow fan base
While the Oakland Raiders might face losing one of the most rabid fan bases in the NFL after their move to Las Vegas, quarterback Derek Carr feels that any real Raiders fans will stick with the team.
As far as the ownership of the Raiders believes, the team is a brand regardless of where they play. However, there is still fear that fans in Oakland will start to boycott games and possibly focus their attention on other California teams, such as the Los Angeles Rams, who returned home this past season. It is a tough spot because the Raiders have suddenly become good again after years of lackluster performance and then immediately announced they were moving.
This new gimmick is a chance to start to try to build their new fan base in Las Vegas during the 2017 NFL Draft.
Oakland Raiders NFL Draft preview
The Oakland Raiders had one of the best teams in the AFC in 2016. They almost won the AFC West and only fell at the end when quarterback Derek Carr fell to injury. In the offseason, the Raiders let their starting running back Latavius Murray leave and their only real additions were signing backup quarterback EJ Manuel, tight end Jared Cook, and special teams superstar Cordarrelle Patterson. What the Raiders will look for in the 2017 NFL Draft is help at the inside linebacker, outside linebacker, interior defensive linemen, cornerback, safety, and running back positions.
