Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Raiders to announce final day draft picks in Las Vegas at Nellis

Oakland Raiders Draft Welcome

L.E. Baskow

Former pro football player Akbar Gbaja-Biamila joins Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak and fans as the Oakland Raiders announce their third-day draft picks from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign on Saturday, April 29, 2017.

Updated Monday, April 23, 2018 | 4:29 p.m.

The Oakland Raiders will make their Day 3 NFL Draft selections from Nellis Air Force Base.

The selections will be announced by former Raiders All-Pro defensive end and all-time sack leader Greg Townsend, as well as Nellis Air Force Base Airmen and members of the Thunderbirds, the team announced Monday.

Round 6 will be youth football-themed, with the Raiders inviting 15 children of service members stationed at Nellis Air Force Base to participate in the selections.

The Raiders have eight selections on Day 3, which includes rounds four, five, six and seven. The team has one pick in the fourth (No. 110), two in the fifth (Nos. 159, 173), four in the sixth (Nos. 185, 212, 216, 217) and one in the seventh (No. 228).

This marks the second consecutive year the Raiders will announce their third-day picks from Las Vegas, as last year the team was stationed at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.

Various dignitaries including Gov. Brian Sandoval, Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman announced picks at last year’s event.

The team is expected to increase its involvement in the Southern Nevada community events as team’s 2020 arrival nears, Raiders President Marc Badain said last month.

Of all the sites the Raiders could have chosen Nellis was a no-brainier, Badain said.

“We’ve had a long working relationship with the military, using Travis Air Force Base in the past (for Day 3 NFL Draft selection announcements),” Badian said. “We’ve been in communication with the folks over at Nellis and have done some events with them and it just made a lot of sense.”

The 2018 NFL Draft will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and continue with the second and third rounds at 4 p.m. Friday, then the fourth through seventh 9 a.m. Saturday.