Oakland holds the first pick in the draft. Numerous early reports have them taking Jamarcus Russell from LSU with this pick. Russell may be an intriguing talent with the best arm for a QB in a decade, but he should not be the pick they make. When picking first overall in the draft it is more imperative than ever that the team select as guaranteed an impact player as possible. Whiffing with this high a selection can have a poisonous impact on team morale. Ask the Browns and Bungles about this.
The Raiders have a need at many positions. The serious needs are on the offensive side where WR, QB, and OL are a tremendous priority. But among these WR is the most glaring. Though the team has "name" players like Randy Moss and Jerry Porter, they do not have quality at the position as these two are more concerned about earning their way out of town than earning their paychecks. QB has an intriguing prospect in Andrew Walter, who has himself an incredibly strong arm, has started 10 games with essentially dismal results. But remember that he did this behind a woeful O-line throwing to WRs who admittedly were not really trying to catch the ball. Walter should be given more time to prove himself before drafting a guy like Russell who is a very similar player. A veteran QB that knows that he is only there to mentor Walter should be brought in to do so. A guy that is too old to be taken seriously as a starting candidate, like a Vinny Testaverde, could really help Walter figure out the QB position even if a horrendous QB coach is in place. The awful O-line should be addressed later in the draft since there is not a player who is a surefire #1 pick available.
The Raiders pick should be Calvin Johnson. He automatically gives the team a tremendous mismatch on the outside ever time he is on the field. He leaves the other WRs in single coverage automatically. Even if he is doubled, when Walter is in trouble he can likely have a pretty nice safety valve in just throwing it high to Johnson who is well noted for his ability to catch the ball in traffic. Additionally Johnson is an aggressive blocker who should help free up Lamont Jordan or Dominic Rhodes on the outside. Johnson could also be moved all over the field, put on the outside, the slot, and even at TE to really confuse other teams and get him really mismatched on a LB. Johnson is the only guy the Raiders should even be considering with this pick. Russell is not much more than a heavier, blacker version of Andrew Walter, who still has not failed to the point of going in another direction.
With their second round pick the Raiders should look at the OL and possibly the QB position. At OL, Justin Blalock of Texas and Joe Staley of Central Michigan could still be available at this point. Blalock would be an immediate infusion of talent at the OG position and really help the running game get going. Staley could step in and be the LT of the future, moving Robert Gallery to the RT slot, where his short arms are less likely to be exposed by pass rushers. If these guards are taken the team is better off trying to move down into the middle of the round, picking up a few more picks, and picking OG Arron Sears of Tennessee. If that is not available to them, they should stand pat and pick QB Drew Stanton of Michigan State. Stanton has a strong arm, toughness, and a tremendous upgrade in mobility over any QB on their roster.
With their 3rd round pick the Raiders should look again at upgrading the OG position. If Arron Sears is still available then he should be the pick. If he is gone, they could trade down to the middle of the round and grab a guy like OG Manuel Ramirez or Texas Tech or OG Josh Beekman of Boston College.
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