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2009
NFL Draft Needs - Oakland Raiders
by Gregory Cox
Senior Writer
4/22/09
Picks (5): 7, 40, 71, 126, 217
Safety – This position has been a sore spot for a long time.
Legendary Rod Woodson’s career finale stint from 2002-2003 marked the
last time there was much skill presented from the last line of defense.
Michael Huff is running out of chances as a former #7 overall pick.
During the Texas spring game festivities he was reminiscing about his
part in helping the Longhorns defeat USC in the BCS title game in 2006.
Has he brought the lumber since? The team has tried him at both the
free and strong spot. Free agent disappointment Gibril Wilson could not
adapt to the volatile atmosphere off the field and his play on the
field was not what the team expected when they gave him a big contract.
Releasing him was the only option and he quickly signed with Miami.
Rashad Baker (Eagles) is gone too. It looks like Hiram Eugene will be
retained as an exclusive rights free agent. Last year’s fourth round
pick Tyvon Branch also figures prominently assuming he gets healthy.
The cornerback situation was handled with the retention of star Nnamdi
Asomugha and also Chris Johnson who came on strong out of nowhere. The
Raiders always add someone to the secondary in the draft, usually
early. Looking at the depth chart safety seems much more likely to be
at safety.
Wide Receiver – Their wide receivers remind me of the cast of a
bad reality show on VH1. Javon Walker is trying to get his career back
on track and reworked the outrageous contract he signed last year to
stick around. In 7 seasons he has put together two big years, 2004 in
Green Bay and 2006 in Denver. Other than that his other 64 games have
produced a total of 1,545 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. This is
their anchor? If I have to hear one more person tell me they “like Chaz
Schilens” there is going to be a fight. Last year’s seventh round pick
shows promise, but let’s be honest he caught 15 passes. Out of his 226
yards on the season 98 came in the final two games. As for the other
“big threat” Johnnie Lee Higgins most of the big plays he produced came
on punt returns. He did almost win the Buffalo game with an 84 yard
touchdown which represented 23% of his yardage for the season. Like
Schilens a lot of his production came late, namely 12 of his 22
receptions. If you have not figured it out yet these numbers are a
joke. This team had two of the best receiver the NFL has ever seen,
Jerry Rice and Tim Brown, lining up for them not that long ago. Now
tight end Zach Miller is coming off leading the team with 778 yards
which is almost what Higgins, Schilens and running back Darren McFadden
(the next three on their receiving leaders) managed combined (877). I’m
out of material. They need someone – badly.
Defensive Tackle – The same cast of characters are sticking
around for what continues to be a miserable run defense. Tommy Kelly is
an elite player in contract only. Gerard Warren is a former #3 overall
pick so he must be good right? William Joseph, also another team’s
former first round pick, was retained. Terdell Sands is perhaps best
known for punching star punter Shane Lechler in a scuffle. This group
comes nowhere close to getting the job done. Because of the existing
salaries it would be difficult under the salary cap to draft a player
in the first round, but someone has to provide an impact for this
porous run defense.
Defensive End – Trevor Scott was taken in the fifth round and
came up with 5 sacks. He was considered a project, but might be a
factor sooner than later. Jay Richardson, a fifth round pick in 2007,
looks to be on the right track. It is one thing to have potential,
quite another to produce at the NFL level and right now Derrick Burgess
is the only difference maker. This brings us to the next problem.
Burgess has seen his sack and tackle totals dwindle since his monster
2005 season, his first in a Silver & Black uniform. Now he is in a
contract year and will be putting his best foot forward looking for
another big deal. This has to be a point of emphasis in the draft.
Burgess could be slapped with the franchise tag if he has a good
season, but even at that more talent is needed after failed free agent
Kalimba Edwards was cut. A bigger player who can hold up against the
run might be sought by the Raiders as well.
Offensive Line – I am addressing this because it is a perceived
need. There is a very strong possibility the team feels pretty good
about their situation. At left tackle the Kwame Harris experiment is
over. Now new addition Khalif Barnes (Jaguars) and incumbent Mario
Henderson will be battling it out for the most important spot. Erik
Pears (Broncos) and Marcus Johnson (Vikings) were also added to shore
up the depth chart. Last year’s starter on the right side Cornell Green
has run into issues off the field and it remains to be seen if that
will impact his status. However, this group is capable of handling the
position if need be. At guard the situation is solid with Robert
Gallery on the left side and Cooper Carlisle just signed a long term
deal to play on the right side. At center Jake Grove (Dolphins) was
lost, but a fairly inexpensive trade brought Samson Satele (Dolphins)
into the fold in what amounted to a player swap. John Wade is still
around as long as he holds up and Chris Morris provides interior depth
having just been retained. The biggest factor in all of this is new
offensive line coach Jim Michalczik. He has been responsible for an
excellent line at Cal since 2002 and it is no coincidence the team rose
to national prominence with him guiding the blockers. Along with head
coach Tom Cable the philosophy could be to “coach up” the talent rather
than make any drastic additions early in the draft. Unless of course a
“must have” player falls to them because it is worth noting both Pears
and Barnes are signed on one year deals. Cable referred to the top four
elite tackle prospects as “Cadillacs” when noting it would be nice to
coach one.
Outside Linebacker – It seems as if mediocrity has been accepted
for a while on the strong side. Sam Williams is kept around because Al
Davis likes him. His play on the field certainly is not commensurate
with a third round pick and most teams would not consider Williams to
be a potential starter. Ricky Brown was retained and is slated to
start. It is strange to have such talent in the form of Kirk Morrison
and Thomas Howard in two spots and a carousel of average players
joining them on the field. They could use someone to stand out in that
spot.
Michael
Abromowitz's 2009 NFL Mock
Draft - 7 rounds
Gregory Cox's 2009 NFL Mock
Draft - 6 rounds
Jared Donnelly's 2009 NFL Mock Draft
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