Oakland Raiders NFL Team Column

By Joshua Sattler 2008 Post NFL Draft Coverage

Running Back Carousel to be the Story of 2008

Hopefully the Oakland Raiders have learned from their mistakes with the contract of JaMarcus Russell and will be able to get Darren McFadden under contract in time to make an impact on the 2008 campaign. RB Dominic Rhodes ended up being the odd man out after McFadden was selected with the 4^th overall pick, but that still leaves the Raiders with 4 running backs under contract. Justin Fargas was the most productive back in 2007 going for 1,009 yards and 4 touchdowns.  It is unclear if Fargas is the front runner to start at running back going into camp, or if his year was based more on the unavailability of Rhodes due to substance abuse and LaMont Jordan due to injuries last year. Jordan, at 29, is still a very productive back and added 549 yards and 3 touchdowns last year in only 8 appearances with more than 10 carries. The talented second year man, Michael Bush, didn’t play last year and was drafted solely on potential after missing most of his last year in college due to a knee injury. If Bush still has any of the talent that he displayed in 2005 at the University of Louisville, he could find himself in the mix for playing time next season.

I think the contract situation with McFadden will play into this decision as well. Rhodes was cut loose after only 1 season in Oakland and was clearly the easiest running back to let go. This made the most sense for salary cap reasons. If McFadden’s contract is resolved quickly and he can get into camp, Jordan may be a post June 1^st cut as well. Going into the season with the one-two punch of Fargas and McFadden may be enough at the running back position. If Michael Bush is ready to contribute, this will also play into Jordan’s potential future in Oakland. If cutting Jordan makes any sense cap wise, the Raiders could be comfortable having just 3 running backs on their roster. Fargas was just locked up to a 3 year $14 million dollar extension, so his future in Oakland seems secure. Fargas was thought of as a kick returner or 3^rd down back before he exploded for a thousand yards last season behind a suspect offensive line. The Raiders young offense with Russell, Fargas, McFadden, Javon Walker, tight end Zach Miller and Ronald Curry is something to get excited about for the future. If the Raiders’ offensive line can stay healthy and step up to the plate, the Oakland offense may make fans as hopeful for the future as they are about the team’s talented young defense.

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Oakland Raiders: 2008 Post Draft Review and Analysis

Round 1: #4 RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas. Surprisingly, DT Glenn Dorsey was still here when the Raiders picked. I wonder if this complicated a decision that might have already been made in selecting McFadden or not? From a football standpoint I think the smartest pick would have been selecting Dorsey. A DT like Dorsey would instantaneously improve the Raider defense and might make Tommy Kelly worth at least half the money the Raiders paid him. Taking McFadden is what I call making your roster more “Madden” friendly. The Raiders will be a fun team to play Madden 08 with on your X-Box 360 when you can hand the ball off to McFadden or throw deep from JaMarcus to Javon Walker, but you wont be able to stop anyone on the ground. This pick will make some fans happy, sell some jerseys and takes some of the pressure off Russell, but this pick doesn’t win football games for the Raiders.

I think McFadden could be the star of this year’s draft though, he might be the best football player in this draft class. I don’t like the fit for the Raiders and think McFadden could have been rookie of the year with a team like the Jets, but Oakland will stink again next year and when teams are bad their problem players rise to the top. McFadden is now on a roster with 4 other running backs who all together command a large chunk of the Raider payroll. Who is now the odd man out? I love McFadden, don’t get me wrong, but for the Raiders I have to grade this as a C+ because I don’t think they will ever get the best out of him. 

Round 4: #100 CB Tyvon Branch, Connecticut. Branch ran a 4.3 40 yard dash at the combine and has great size, I think the Raiders found a real gem here in the 4^th round. My question is why they went with corner? They traded their second round pick when they traded for Deangelo Hall and their franchise player is CB Nnamdi Asomugha, so this makes me wonder about other needs for Oakland. Branch was likely a case of a player that was too good to let get away. Oakland has strength at corner and Branch will provide much more. As purely a draft choice I would give the Raiders an A for selecting a player with Branch’s type of talent in the 4^th round, but much like the McFadden choice I wonder how he fits into the grand scheme of things in Oakland and that is why I give it a B-.

Round 4: #126 WR Arman Shields, Richmond. Shields has decent size at 6 feet and ran in the 4.4 range at the combine so he is a talented player that not many people have heard of. I like the selection of a WR here and think Shields has the talent but I am concerned by the type of players the Raiders let pass them here in the 4^th round. Oakland has some serious needs along the offensive line and linebacking corps and selecting a WR here was a bit of a head scratcher. With that being said, I think Sheilds was worth the 4^th round selection and can play at the next level if he has recovered from his season ending knee injury from 2007. I have too many questions about this pick and grade it as a C-.

Round 6: #169 DE Trevor Scott, Buffalo. Scott has only played on defense for one year and didn’t exactly play against top flight competition at Buffalo. Scott has good size and is clearly a project player after being selected in the 6^th round, I thought a player like Scott was more of a post draft signee or 7^th round selection. There was still talent on the board when Oakland took a former TE turned into a DE from a small school. D+

Round 7: #226 WR Chaz Schilens, San Diego State. Schilens is another project player but with a much larger upside. At 6’4” 225 Schilens is a huge target and might find himself shifted to TE in the future if the Raiders choose to take him that way. This selection is typical of the 7^th round where you draft on potential and hope that the player can develop in your system. With Schilen’s size and upside I grade this choice out well as a B+.

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Oakland Raiders: What would be a win for the Raiders on draft weekend?

When you are the Oakland Raiders and you haven’t had a winning season in 5 years, your number one pick last year is your franchise QB, you have four running backs under contract and a second year coach who is already on the hot seat you have to wonder what can they do on draft weekend to improve this franchise? What would fans and prognosticators deem a win for the Raiders on draft weekend? Most mock drafts have Arkansas RB Darren McFadden going to the Raiders with the 4^th pick overall Saturday, but some comments made by head coach Lane Kiffin recently has me wondering about the direction of the pick. Believe it or not the Raiders actually put together a decent offseason by adding a weapon at WR in Javon Walker and resigning Justin Fargas.

Fargas is another part of the log jam at running back for the Raiders and I can’t imagine that they go into the 2008 campaign with all 4 of their running backs under contract. Do the Raiders skip on a talent like Darren McFadden because he doesn’t fit a team need? Successful teams take the best player available, knowing that year to year their needs can change and a great football player can always find their way onto the field.  It seems that the writing is on the wall that McFadden might not be the pick. So if we stray away from McFadden who are the other candidates? I think the Raiders have to hope that one of two guys fall to them, either DT Glenn Dorsey or DE Chris Long. Dorsey would be the ultimate compliment to this young and exciting defense the Raiders are building. The Raiders wasted a ton of money on DE Tommy Kelly in the offseason so they might as well get him some help on the inside.

The Raiders also traded for CB DeAngelo Hall and franchised CB Nnamdi Asomugha. DE Kalimba Edwards and FS Gibril Wilson were free agent signings that plug some holes and all of a sudden this defense is only left with a couple spots to fill. Adding a player like Dorsey would fill the void left by DT Warren Sapp’s retirement and could stabilize the DT position in Oakland for the next decade. A player like Chris Long would revitalize this franchise. Long would be the connection to the past glory days of Raider nation by resurrecting the passion that followed the Raider teams his dad Howie played for. I don’t see Long slipping to the Raiders at #4, but that would be the home run for the franchise. Dorsey has had some injury concerns and there could be the fear that he would wash out. Long doesn’t have any of those concerns and he would be an absolute hit at the box office.

I also am a big advocate for finding franchise QB JaMarcus Russell some help on offense. The Raiders did secure him a couple weapons in free agency and got OT Kwame Harris to protect Russell on the line but the top of this draft is not stocked with offensive talent. The #1 tackle is already off the board in Jake Long to the Miami Dolphins and #4 may be too early to reach for the #2 tackle. McFadden creates even more of a log jam and fights for carries with the four other running backs under contract. The WR position is filled and there are no tight ends to go after at #4. A win in the 2008 draft would be if DT Glenn Dorsey or DE Chris Long slips to #4. With the second pick the Raiders need a starter at linebacker.

My previous mock draft had the Raiders selecting LB Curtis Lofton out of Oklahoma with the #34 overall pick. Since the Raiders have no third round selection, this places even more importance on finding a starter in the second round. Picking at #34 the Raiders should have some choices at linebacker that can make a difference in 2008 but Lofton has the speed and tenacity to fit the Raiders style on defense. Lofton plays sideline to sideline and has a motor much like Chris Long. A clear resounding win for the Raiders on Saturday would be to have Chris Long and Curtis Lofton in silver and black.

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Oakland Raiders Team Needs and  Mock Draft

When your team is coming off a 4-12 season and there are rumors about firing first year head coach Lane Kiffin your team has some pretty big holes. Fortunately for the Raiders they have a fast young defense and some high draft picks. Oakland secured their franchise QB last year in Jamarcus Russell and added some nice pieces on defense. This is the year Oakland finds weapons to help Russell on offense. The Oakland Raiders team needs are running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive tackle and linebacker.

Running back: The Raiders got great production out of Justin Fargas last year, but he cannot be the long term answer in Oakland’s backfield. Free agent Dominic Rhodes was a complete bust and LaMont Jordan couldn’t get onto the field with injuries. With the 4^th round pick in the NFL draft I see owner Al Davis wanting to make a splash with Darren McFadden at RB if at all possible.

Wide receiver: Wideout is where I expected the Raiders to go last year but decided to pass on Calvin Johnson last year in favor of Russell. Frankly, Russell has no reliable options on this roster and I am not sure even a strong draft would help. There is nobody worthy of taking at #4 at WR and the second and third rounds could find you some gems, but not impact players capable of helping the Oakland offense next year. If the right player is available at the top of the second round I could see the Raiders looking at receiver there.

Offensive line: Not only do the Raiders have nobody to throw the ball to they have nobody to protect their franchise QB as well. Former first round tackle Robert Gallery has been a disappointment and they need to augment this line immediately with the slow footed Russell as their signalcaller. Unfortunately there are too many holes on this roster and not enough draft picks to go around. The Raiders will have to hope to get lucky in the later rounds to find help.

Defensive tackle: Warren Sapp leaves a large hole here after his retirement, but opens the door financially for this team. It is very possible that either Sedrick Ellis from USC or even Glenn Dorsey from LSU could slip to the Raiders. DT would be the smart pick for Oakland at #4 or even to grab former standout Howie Long’s son Chris to play DE and help this line if he is available.

Linebacker: Speaking of Howie Long, this current Oakland roster is empty at linebacker. Gone are the days where Oakland was known for their hard hitting linebackers. The roster has some young talent on it, but nobody has emerged as a true star at this position. A second round choice could also be spent here for Oakland.

With so many holes and areas of need, here goes a mock draft for the Raiders.

Round 1 (#4) Darren McFadden 6’2” 215 – Arkansas. Last year Adrian Peterson showed what a rookie running back can accomplish his first season in the NFL and McFadden is just as highly touted as Peterson was coming out of college. The smart pick here for the Raiders would probably be DT, but I just cant imagine Al Davis passing on this talent here and pairing JaMarcus Russell with McFadden in his backfield.

Round 2 (#34) – ILB Curtis Lofton 6’0” 238 – Oklahoma. Lofton is a star from a high powered program. Lofton is the exact type of player that the Raiders need. All Lofton knows is winning and he is the kind of player that could be a team captain for years with his inspiring play. Lofton plays sideline to sideline and would fit in well with this Raider defense that is being built with speed.  

Round 4 (#100) – WR Davone Bess 5’10 195 – Hawaii. Bess, a Oakland native, would fit in well in Kiffin’s offense. Bess reminds you a lot of Jamarcus Russell’s former teammate Early Doucet at LSU except that Bess is more battle tested in a vertical offense at Hawaii. Bess would be ready to make an impact as a rookie and Oakland will need that in 2008.

Round 5 (#130) – DT Carlton Powell 6’3” 300 – Virginia Tech. Powell fills a void for Oakland at DT and comes from a program like Curtis Lofton that is defensive minded and accustomed to winning. Powell brings the size and athleticism to play at the NFL level and the attitude needed for Oakland to build a winner again.

Round 6 (#165) – OG Andrew Bain 6’3” 340 – Miami. Bain is a value pick here because of his ability to either play guard or an undersized tackle in the NFL. Oakland needs help all over the line and Bain has the experience to be the kind of player that can fill any hole if needed.

Round 7 (#197) – C John Sullivan 6’4” 303 – Notre Dame. Sullivan would be an absolute steal for Oakland in the later rounds. He played in a pro style offense at Notre Dame and leaves college as one of the most experienced players to wear the golden dome. Had Sullivan left last season he would have been a sure fire top 3 center, but with Notre Dame’s terrible 2007 campaign, Sullivan’s stock plummeted.

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