That is according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Ahead of the Easter weekend the Raiders general manager Mike Mayock made the “uncommon” decision to send home their scouts amid “trust” issues at the organisation.
It was reported at the time that Mayock doesn’t know who he can trust with his draft secrets.
The draft will begin on Thursday and the Raiders hold four picks of the first 35 selections.
They hold three first-round picks (4th, 24th and 27th) and the third pick in the second round.
Rapoport reports the Raiders are lining up a surprise pick at No 4, which would require “absolutely secrecy” and goes towards explaining their actions last week with regards to their scouting staff.
This will be Mayock’s first draft as the general manager in Oakland and there is a lot of pressure on him for this to be successful, after they made the decision to trade away talented players for draft capital.
Last season Mayock and Raiders head coach John Gruden made the decision to trade away three-time All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears and three-time Pro Bowler wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys.
“From what I understand, what the Raiders are looking at is some sort of surprise pick at number four,” Rapoport said.
“That would necessitate absolutely secrecy, which is why Mike Mayoch, why John Gruden have essentially cleared the rooms.
“What that actually is, I don’t know.
“I have some thoughts, maybe that’s Devin White, maybe it is a quarterback, like Dwayne Haskins or Kyler Murray, if he is there.
“Maybe it is an offensive linesman, no-one has mocked them, a tackle perhaps.
“But from what I understand it is a pick that should surprise us at four, which would maybe sort of explain this.”
Rapoport also believes the decision by Mayock, a former NFL Network draft analyst, is an indication that there will be an overhaul of scouting department in the organisation after the draft.
Come draft day on Thursday, Rapoport thinks there will only be one scout in the room.
“The scouting director in this case is Shaun Herock is actually not in the room, neither are any scouts save for one,” he said.
“There are going to be other legal people there and a contract guy in the room.
“There are points of contact for people to call the Raiders in case of a trade, but as far as scouts, it is going to be very barren.
“They told their scouts on Friday ‘have a great easter weekend go home, and by the way also don’t come back till after the draft’.
“And for a lot of them, their isn’t a reason to come back because they are going to have significant turnover in the draft room and a lot of those guys who left, probably are not returning.”
And Mayock isn’t under any illusions of the pressure he is under to make the right decisions in Nashville.
“At the end of the day, here’s the deal – if we win, everything will be fine,” he said.
“And if we lose, I’ll get fired. And I’m perfectly fine with that.”
The 2019 NFL Draft begins this Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee.