Draft Day 2

The picks are starting to come in quickly. This is a nice change from yesterday.

So far today we have taken RB Michael Bush and CB John Bowie in the 4th round and DE Jay Richardson in the 5th.

Michael Bush could end up being a draft steal. He would have been a first round pick had he not broke his leg this season. He ends up in a perfect situation. He can sit behind Jordan and Rhodes this season and look at breaking into the starting lineup next season. I think Bush could become the one to compete with the other AFC West Running Backs.

John Bowie is a project player. He is a track star that ran a 4.24 40 yard dash. It's hard to say if he'll ever crack into the lineup but we all know how much Al Davis loves speed.

Jay Richardson is tall and strong. He will most likely be a special teams player but only time will tell.

Draft Day 1

Now that Day 1 of the NFL Draft is in the books we can look back and see what we accomplished. I am very happy with the first three picks in our draft.

The Picks
Russell will hopefully become a fixture at the Quarterback position for the next 10+ years.

Zach Miller is the best TE on our roster right now.

Quentin Moses should end up starting opposite of Derrick Burgess.

Mario Henderson could be a future replacement for Sims but we probably won't see too much of him this year as long as we don't have a bunch of injuries.

Johnie Lee Higgins won't make an immediate impact on our offense but we could see him on special teams although I am still hoping Chris Carr is our return guy.

The Trade
One of the biggest moves for us was acquiring Josh McCown and Mike Williams from the Lions for a 4th round draft pick. McCown will most likely start until Russell is ready to go. That is if Andrew Walter can't get it done but McCown is a better fit for Kiffin's offense.

Mike Williams is a project but I am hopeful he'll turn out ok. I just hope it doesn't end up costing Ronald Curry any playing time.

Will Randy Moss be moved today? I certainly hope so. Maybe we should try to get a 2nd or 3rd in the 08 draft.

With the #1 pick the Raiders Select...........

With the draft just around the corner there are only two realistic options with the first overall pick. Let's examine each of these options.

Why we should draft Calvin Johnson
1) Quarterbacks take time to develop. Taking Russell would leave us with a guy who wouldn't be ready to start for a couple years. QBs only have about a 50% chance of panning out.

2) Johnson is one of the best WR prospects in 10 years. He has all the tools and a great attitude and work ethic.

3) It would make us much more likely to trade Randy Moss

Why we should draft Jemarcus Russell
1) We need a franchise Quarterback. If Russell pans out, it would leave us with a Quarterback to lead us for years.

2) Russell has amazing talent. He can throw the ball further than almost any QB in the league.

3) New coaching regimes often draft a new Quarterback to give themselves a little more time to get their systems installed.


My Choice
I would be more comfortable drafting Calvin Johnson. Most great quarterbacks have had a great receiver to get them going. I think we'd be better off drafting Johnson this year and going after a Quarterback next season.