Through two days of the NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders have been one of the busiest teams in the league. The Raiders made four trades and selected four players on Thursday and Friday combined. All in all, here's how it shook out for them: 

  • They traded down from No. 10 to No. 15, picking up two additional picks in the process, and selected UCLA tackle Kolton Miller. 
  • They traded down from No. 41 to No. 57, picking up a third-round pick for their troubles, and selected Sam Houston State defensive tackle P.J. Hall. 
  • They traded up at the top of the third round, moving from No. 75 to No. 65 and giving up fifth and sixth-round picks to do so, then selected North Carolina A&T tackle Brandon Parker. 
  • They traded the third-round pick they received from the Cardinals, to the Steelers in exchange for Martavis Bryant. 
  • They selected LSU pass-rusher Arden Key at No. 87. 

Looking for a hot new NFL podcast that's your home for NFL Draft coverage? Look no further. The Pick 6 Podcast with Will Brinson has you covered each day of the draft with new episodes around 30 minutes each. Subscribe: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play

The value of some of Gruden's picks has been criticized in some circles, including by our own Will Brinson. Despite the criticism, Gruden says he's happy with his team's draft, and that he doesn't really care what others are saying. 

"I don't really hear all the skeptics," Gruden said, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I have a cellphone, too, that works. I got a lot of coaches and friends in the NFL that are ecstatic about the picks that we made. And I apologize to people who don't like our picks and are skeptical. I also realize we have to prove we did the right thing. But I'm not going to apologize or be sad about taking two young offensive tackles with the people we've got to block in this division. 

"We're not playing seven-on-seven here. We don't get to count steamboats or three-Mississippi before they rush. We need guys who can block, and we addressed that today. And we have a quarterback [Derek Carr], I think, that is one hell of a football player, and it's a priority to protect him. He's been hurt the last two years, and it bothers me."

I think it's clear that Gruden does in fact hear all the skeptics, being that he knows there are skeptics, but I get what he's saying here. The Raiders certainly needed some offensive line help to keep Derek Carr upright, and if the two tackles he picked turn out to be great, people won't be complaining about where they were selected for much longer.