The Oakland Raiders need to be prudent with their picks come April 24th and 25th. There are several holes on the roster that can be filled if the Raiders make the right moves. They have been prudent so far with their moves, and not overspent as they have done in the past. The moves they have made have gone directly to team needs and have been mostly under the radar guys who will compete, rather than walk into a starting job.
The Raiders have a few key holes that must be filled. These mustd be addressed through the draft since the free agent market is rather bare this offseason. The best that is out there in the positions of need are at best depth players. If the Raiders play their cards right, they can get starters in at least the first three rounds.
Much of the hype centers around the Raiders chance to draft wide reciever Micahel Crabtree out ot Texas Tech. However, this may not be the best move for the Raiders. It would likely be the most popular move they could make, but a wide receiver in the top ten is more of an 'icing on the cake' type move, rather than a prudent move for a team looking to build their foundation. However, he should be the pick if the top defensive linemen are off the board.
The Raiders primary holes are along their defensive line. The run defense has been atrocious for the past several years. Rob Ryan's lack of blitzes did not help, but the lack of push from the defensive tackles has been a huge problem. B.J. Raji would seem to be a good choice, however with the news coming out that he tested positive for marijuana, he becomes a riskier proposition. He is already on the league's radar as a potential substance abuser, which means he will be on a much tighter leash. However, he is a top notch player at a position of dire need.
The Raiders could be better off with going with a defensive end along the lines of Brian Orapko or Everette Brown. Aaron Maybin seems better suited towards being an outside linebacker in a 3-4 so is not likely on the Raiders' radar. If they go defensive end, then their second pick should be either Ron Brace or Ziggy Hood to add beef to the center of the line. If the Raiders go with Crabtree in the first, they should definitely go for one of the big defensive tackles in the second, and look for defensive ends with their fourth.
Their thrid round pick will likely be a safety. They have a gaping hole in that position with Gibril Wilson now a Dolphin. Either Chip Vaughn or Patrick Chung will very likely be Raiders if they are on the board when the Raiders give their first pick of the second day.
The acquisition of Samson Satele from the 'Fins likely eliminates the Raiders from taking either Max Unger or Alex Mack. They will likely have Satele, John Wade, and Chris Morris compete for the starting job for the '09 season. They are expecting Satele to be a better fit for the zone blocking scheme than he was for the man blocking scheme in Miami. It would not be a surprise to see the Raiders take a wide out with one of the first three picks, but with the young receivers in place as well as Javon Walker now having two years guaranteed it is increasingly unlikely.
This is a crucial draft, and the Raiders need to draft smart. They need to get players who will be able to start right away and make an impact where it was most needed. Darren McFadden was promised to be an impact player when he was selected in 2008, but injuries limited him and he never seemed to find the stride he was expected to hit.
Comments
Thank the football gods for Patrick and his articles.... 1strd Raji will be there and I say take him if A. Smith is a bad fit for the ZBS. 2ndrd Brace, yeah bring them both in and maybe we can change that run D. 3rdrd Yep safety just makes too much sense, Vaughn, Chung whoever, it won't matter unless we beef up the D they will look alot like Stuey used to. Russell may need a legit first string wr soon but he ain't there yet so let's run run play action. If Russell is a good boy and shows the improvement we all need to see we can buy him a wideout next year. Oh and patrick can you tell Bush to become a fb for me dude? I can so see him and mcfad/fargas in the backfield together. We just have to hand the ball to the fb more. I just don't like all that talent at one position and only one in at a time. The young offense is going to improve regardless, if we don't draft ol then throw it all on the D. It is one thing not to blitz, it's another thing to be ineffective when you do. The biggest needs for our Raiders are sacks and turnovers.
champions are built starting at the lines, both offensive and defensive. Raji, orakpo, brace, all great choices. not so sure about Andre Smith at left tackle, but a good o-lineman would also be a good choice. then maybe hayward-bey, or barden in the second. By the way.....Plaxico might fit nicely!
The Raiders need help on both lines but it has to start with the "O" line first since a consistent running game and the ability to protect JR are the higest prioities. A balanced offense scores more points and keeps the defense off the field. All the great Raider years were directly related to building a great "O" line first and then the defense. None of the tackles, Henderson or Barnes are good enough against the better teams of the NFL. Henderson and Khali Barnes needed too much help to rely on their ability to get the job done. Satele is worse than Grove at handling the bigger NTs and despite Cables ZBS, it is not a panacea for moving the bigger DTs out of the way. The Raider "O" line could not even budge the KC D-line in the 2nd game. Andre Smith is the best coice as he is the same size as Khalif Barnes but has quicker feet. He dominated the run and pass against the best teams in the country and will fit the ZBS perfectly. He is much more athletic than any of the tackles we have now. Watch his game tape on "U" Tube. So Andre Smith at #7, Brace at DT in the 2nd and Brinkley at MLB in the 3rd. If brace is not there, go after the best center available, perhaps Antoin Caldwell.
First off, the O line & the D line need help. Championships are won in the trenches. As far as the Plaxico potential signing in Oakland is a "HUGE MISTAKE" and the reason why is this: Anyone in a family tree that has the shere stupidity to name theie kid "Plaxico" doesn't have the deepest gene pool coupled with the idiot shot himself and is now going to jail for a couple years. So stop ranting about Plax coming to Oakland. He is going to jail !
OT, OT, OT. It impoves so much. Pass protection making Jamarcus better. It also frees up Zach from pass protection and gets him into routes more often. Improved run blocking making the rb's better. It moves the chains, also taking the pressure off Jamarcus. Lastly, as pointed out above, it keeps the defense off the field, making them better. Tom Cable needs to get inside Andre Smith's grill and see what he's got. If he can give us what he gave the Tide, we should get him. Remember, before he coughed up the combine, A. Smith was mentioned in the same breath as the other overall #1 guys...
only two words for the #7 pick - SMITH ~ CRABTREE
Pat this is why i like reading your columns, you understand that defense wins championships.. We just aquired 3 offensive lineman who absolutley will be nothing less than an improvement over cornell green and harris.. Plus Statele gives us something grove never did, consistancy when it comes to actually staying on the field, he has played in every game in his young career.. I like trevor scott as a rotational player but an Orapko in the 1rst round and a ron brace in the 2nd will be a substantial upgrade for our 31rst ranked run defense, not to mention how much better morris and howard will be with a little less added pressure and responsibility. In the 3rd Chip vaughn whos a beast will really give that d an edge against the running game plus, a better pass rush that will make our secondary as a whole that much better.. Our o line will be much improved with an emerging henderson and with all the different looks mcfadden should be givin d's i think we'll be ok, another veterian wouldnt hurt like a toomer but we if really consintrate on strengthen that d and install an attitude we'll turn that corner 4sho.. Dont forget how many games we could have won if late game drives were actually stopped by our d..
Linemen, Linemen, Linemen
I think we need to trade down and fix a few problems. Trading Fargas while he has some value would be a good idea. He is a good back,but has never been able to stay healthy
(college or pro). We have the future in Bush and DMAC,lets get a an extra pick or 2 from Fargas.
we need a defencive lineman raji will b perfect,who cares if he got tested positive 4 weed...and for are receiver situation why not Cal Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden 6'6
1st RD. trade down and get best DT available for Raji has suspension wrote all over him. I did want him prior to hearing this info. Now get either Hood and Brace or Matthews Jr. and P. Jerry. out of Ole Miss. A OLB and DT in the 1st two rds would be nice but if we trade down we may be able to get a OLB that can start, a DT and DE in the first 2 rds. Of course a SS in the 3rd or sooner is a need.
What exactly do people think a 30year old running back is worth on the draft market? Trading Fargas is dumb. McFaddin can't stay healthy either why not trade him.Get a line in front of him so he can run and help us.No one can stay healthy behind our offensive line.Trade down and get help. We only have 55 picks and there are more than five holes to fill.
You hit the nail with the hammer on this article. B.J. Raji is 6'2 340. HUGE! On top of his size he had 12.5 SACKS LAST SEASON. That's a lot of sacks for a DT. Our biggest problem last year was that we got no push on that part of the line which resulted in the worst run defense. The drug test story might be false, because on nfl.com, they are reporting that the list falsely accused Malcom Jenkins, Clay Matthews, Brain Cushing, etc. Usc coach was upset when he found out. Then on the other hand highly talented Crabtree might be there at number 7. If he falls to us it would be a gift. How can you pass on such a talent? But he did put a pin in his foot. Then Andre Smith, probably the best tackle in daft who dropped in the draft for poor work ethics will be there too. Wow, it's amazing how 3 of the best players in there positions that we lack the most may fall to us in this years draft. These players fell in the draft for negative reasons. So common sense would be to look into why they dropped. So why haven't they been in Oakland yet. Xray Crabtree's foot or at least check it out, see Smith's worth ethic in practice or at least get a glance, give raji a drug test( If he's not ready for your drug test he probably won't be ready for the Nfl's random test either). Make an educated guess with having done research first hand. Not just pick the biggest name come draft day like we do every year. Everyone has there opinion on who to draft and it divided the raider nation in 3. The truth is we only see the numbers and whats on youtube. There is much more to football such as heart. In my opinion that is what we are missing the most and we need to bring these players in and see who's the most hungry of the bunch.
I would really like to see a good draft out of the raiders this year. I think to accomodate every hole they need to trade down and hopefully get the eagles' two first round picks. They should get R Barden that WR they are keeping an eye on, and the best defensive takle and defensive end with the two first rounders and the second. Then They should take a saftey in the third. Then Please draft a OLB, maybe even with the second rounder instead of a DE. And if at all possible, get a LT or even a RT to groom into a starter for next year. GO RAIDERS!
o-line needs the most improvement.
WR can wait, DL would make some sense, but the cryptkeeper always gets his man.
I EXPECT THE CRAB IN ALAMEDA APRIL 10TH WITH A $46.3 MILLION DOLLAR SMILE...
SHAME.
I think B.J. Raji had 7.5 sacks last year, not 12.5 as indicated above. He smokes dope and had to sit out the entire 2007 season for academic reasons. As Patrick suggests, the Raiders need to draft smart, not only this year but every year. I'm not saying we should pass on B.J. but we definitely should do our homework on recognizing character and heart to match up with the talent we see on paper and YouTube. Will B.J. come to Oakland looking for Darrell Russell's old little black book? Coach Cable's tenure will depend greatly on his ability to identify the team's most pressing needs, and to influence the filling of those needs with quality players who can make a winning impact right away.
Hey Patrick, I keep hearing rumors about a trade of michael bush for chad johnson. Do you think it could happen? I truly hope it is not true. To trade in my opinion our best running back and a pick for an egotistical WR we dont need (Chaz is BETTER!) that doesnt show up for voulontary workouts is not what our locker room needs. And Bush i worth way way way much more. He is a true stud, i think he should start over fargas and dmac!!! Yes I said 3 years ago, "I hope the raiders draft Michael Bush even with a broken leg, cause he will be great one day!" He is the only big back the raiders have, it would be plain IGNORANT to trade him!
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