Draft Grades: Oakland Raiders

To say that the Oakland Raiders have fallen on hard times is putting it mildly. Since appearing in the Super Bowl after the 2002 season the Raiders have lost at least 11 games in every season. Their lack of success on the field has been reflected in a series of bad picks at the top of the NFL Draft. But in 2010 the Raiders seemed to make all the right picks and left with potentially one of the best draft classes in 2010.

The 8th overall selection was used on Rolando McClain, who was far and away the best linebacker in the draft. He should be a force in the middle of the defense for years to come. The second round selection brought Lamarr Houston, a defensive tackle from Texas.

The next two picks were used for a pair of offensive tackles that have all the physical tools and then some, but who need more experience. Jared Veldeer comes from Hillsdale college, and Bruce Campbell, the Workout Wonder from the NFL Combine, comes in with only a handful of starts at the University of Maryland. Both tackles are in the area of 6'7 and 320 pounds. If they develop then the Raiders have a pair of giant sized bookends on the offensive line.

A late round sleeper could very be an Al Davis selection special, Jacoby Ford. A receiver from Clemson, he posted the fastest 40 times at the Combine. The Raiders are hoping he can hold on to the ball, something their first round selection in 2009, Darrius Heyward-Bey, did not do much of in his rookie season.

As deep a draft as you will ever find

I've been saying this for a long time, and any number of experts you come across say the same thing, that the 2010 NFL Draft is as deep as you will ever find. The 2nd Round is proof of that.

By my count, there are 17 players taken in the second round that were projected to go in the first in more than one mock draft. But the depth is seen after New England took Rob Gronkowski at #42.

The next 2 picks were Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston. Then picks 46-49 were Linval Joseph, Daryl Washington, Jimmy Clausen and Taylor Mays. Carlos Dunlap, Terrence Cody, and Sean Lee went #54, 55, and 57. Then the round concluded with Golden Tate going #60, Vladimir Ducasse at #61, and Charles Brown selected by New Orleans at #64.

Jimmy Clausen at #48 is an absolute steal for Carolina. They have Matt Moore in place at quarterback, and he played well down the stretch in 2009. They have a prolific running game with DeAngelo Williams and James Stewart, and one of the most dangerous receivers in the league in Steve Smith. The Panthers also have a very good offensive line, anchored by Jordan Gross. Clausen won't be rushed and will have a chip on his shoulder the size of a football because of all the teams needing a quarterback that passed on him. But compare Clausen and Sam Bradford and their respective situations. One thing that stands out to me is that Clausen will be signed and in training camp. How often do you see a middle second rounder holding out? Not much. The Rams have to sign Bradford to a multi-million dollar contract and get him in training camp on time for him to be effective. Clausen will be in camp and he is far more pro ready than Bradford.

The 2010 NFL Draft is the deepest in years, and the picks keep on coming. One thing that interests me is how far Bruce Campbell will fall. Pick #82 just went off the board, and Campbell is still available. I can't picture someone with his physical skills going much longer without being selected. But you never know.

Round 2 on Day 2

With the 2010 NFL Draft spread out over 3 days, it will be interesting to see what kind of trades are going to be made after the first round. Normally, the St. Louis Rams would have 8 minutes to make their pick at the top of Round 2, but this year they have all night. A night to go over their choices and a night to field offers.

With the draft as deep as it is, there are two ways to look at it. Moving up doesn't make sense because you are going to get first round talent well into the second round. But there are going to be some very good players that teams may look to trade up to get. If you are looking for a defensive tackle, and Terrence Cody, Brian Price and Jared Odrick are still there after Round 1, do you get on the phone or play the waiting game? The same goes for the offensive line. Maurkice Pouncey, Charles Brown, Rodger Saffold and even Bruce Campbell might be available. If the receivers slip, you are looking at Golden Tate, Demaryius Thomas, Arrelious Benn and Brandon LaFell. Need a tight end? How about Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Ed Dickson. There is plenty of depth available at every position, not just the ones I have listed here.

With the extra night between Round 1 and Round 2 are teams going to make the trades to get the players they want? I believe there is going to be a lot of wheeling and dealing going on into the wee hours of the morning. It could make for an interesting Round 2.

DSA Player Rankings 3.0

In the latest DSA Player Rankings, the value of offensive lineman is becoming more pronounced. Bryan Bulaga has moved up past Joe Haden to the seventh slot, and Trent Williams moves up two slots to the #9 position. A number of drafts placing Bruce Campbell eighth overall to Oakland has him gaining a spot, while Russell Okung and Anthony Davis hold onto their positions. That is 5 of the top 18 players in the draft being offensive tackles. It is going to pay to be one of the big guys up front in the 2010 NFL Draft. Here are the DSA Player Rankings, Version 3.0:

1) Ndamukong Suh 1.90
2) Sam Bradford 2.27
3) Gerald McCoy 2.90
4) Russell Okung 4.2
5) Eric Berry 5.63
6) Jimmy Clausen 7.27
7) Bryan Bulaga 10.17
8) Joe Haden 10.73
9) Trent Williams 11.57
10) Rolando McClain 12.23
11) Derrick Morgan 12.77
12) Dez Bryant 13.47
13) C.J. Spiller 14.03
14) Anthony Davis 15.7
15) Dan Williams 16.57
16) Jason Pierre-Paul 17.07
17) Earl Thomas 17.90
18) Bruce Campbell 18.17
19) Sergio Kindle 21.83
20) T-Brandon Graham 22.20
20) T-Taylor Mays 22.20
22) Mike Iupati 22.87
23) Kyle Wilson 23.93
24) Carlos Dunlap 26.73
25) Jermaine Gresham 27.03
26) Brian Price 27.27
27) Everson Griffen 27.40
28) Maurkice Pouncey 27.63
29) Sean Weatherspoon 28.63
30) Ryan Mathews 29.30
31) Jerry Hughes 29.60
32) Jared Odrick 29.70
33) Golden Tate 30.00
34) Charles Brown 30.20
35) Demaryius Thomas 31.00
36) Arrelious Benn 32.27
37) Patrick Robinson 32.63
38) Devin McCourtey 33.17


After his Pro Day Workout, Sam Bradford is going to be the consensus 1st Overall selection. He still ranks #2 Behind Ndamukong Suh because early drafts had him going fourth or lower, while Suh has been consistently in the top 2 or 3. The next DSA Player Rankings will most likely have Bradford at the top. It will be interesting to see if there will be any more big moves up or down the board.

Falling in and out of favor

Has there been a player in recent memory who shot up the boards and fell back as quickly as Bruce Campbell? Going into the combine he was seen as a raw talent with all the physical skills to play at the next level. A late first round or early second round pick. Then he worked out at the Combine.

After he finished working out you thought he was going to be the second coming of Jim Parker, Anthony Munoz and Johnathon Ogden all rolled into one. But what was interesting is that everyone saw the Raiders being the team that would take Campbell. It was the Darrius Heyward-Bey Effect all over again. Workout Wonder. Al Davis falls in love with the physical skills. The Raiders make a reach and take him in the Top 10. Then you find out that he can't catch the ball, and has a wasted rookie season. Looks to be a classic draft reach bust.

Campbell had the same look. Workout wonder. No problem. Al Davis loves the players who work out great. Make a reach for him in the top 10. No problem again. The Raiders select 8th, and they need to shore up the offensive line. One problem, though. Campbell isn't much of a blocker. And that is a big problem when you are trying to protect the blind side of JaMarcus Russell.

Campbell was a popular choice to go 8th overall after the Combine. That's where I have him going in the first TMG Draft Zone Mock Draft. I still think he will go at that slot. Why? I kept telling myself that the Raiders would take Michael Crabtree with the 7th Pick in 2009, and that Heyward-Bey would go late in the first round. Then the Raiders made the pick. I can still see the same thing happening this year. If Trent Williams, or even Bryan Bulaga are still available, Oakland would be smart to take either player in the eighth slot. But I keep getting that old sinking feeling with Bruce Campbell.

Even though Campbell has been falling out of favor in just about every mock draft out there, you just never know with the Raiders. I guess everyone will know for sure on April 22nd.

Trade winds-starting out as a breeze

Every year the NFL Draft has it's share of trades. Either before or during, but teams swap players and picks like they are trading properties in a game of Monopoly. If you are lucky you can find a trading partner like the Jets did with Cleveland last year and they can move way up the board to take the player they really want. This year the big chip in play looks like it is going to who wants to trade for Donovan McNabb, and what are they prepared to give up to add him to their roster. Two teams that have expressed interest are Buffalo and Oakland.

Now I'm not an Eagles fan. I've watched McNabb from a distance and I would say that he can make many teams better immediately. But under the right circumstances. McNabb has taken a beating over the years, and if you put him behind a porous offensive line he's not going to be as effective as his suitors would like. Buffalo and Oakland are teams that need help up front, and picking up McNabb may not be the right fit.

Now I can't see any team giving up a first round pick for McNabb, so both the Bills and Raiders could shore up the line with their first rounder. Russell Okung looks to be gone by picks #8 and #9, and Bryan Bulaga might be gone as well. Which leaves Trent Williams, Bruce Campbell, and Anthony Davis as likely selections. All three players look to go in those slots as of now, so the teams taking any one of those tackles would not be a reach.

To me, the trade that makes the most sense would be the Rams trading the 33rd overall pick to Philadelphia for McNabb, then taking Ndamukong Suh first overall. They get the best player in the draft and add a veteran quarterback who can help them win now. But as it is with many things in the NFL, it comes down to money. Would McNabb want to sign a contract extension with St. Louis? If not then that trade, or any trade where McNabb doesn't want to sign an extension, doesn't make a lot of sense. Also, keep this in mind. Jake Plummer was traded to Tampa Bay, and decided that retirement was a better option. What if McNabb gets traded to a team he doesn't want to play for, or a team he feels doesn't give him a good shot to get back to the Super Bowl. Would McNabb see retirement as a better option as well? Then again, Philadelphia might see McNabb as their best option to get back to the Super Bowl, and tell all the potential suitors thanks, but he's our man. In my opinion that is the best option, and the best fit, for Donovan McNabb.

The Right Player for The Right Team

What the teams in the NFL are looking to do with their draft picks is match the right player for their team. Sometimes it is the best player available and find a the right place on the team for that player. Other times the team is looking for a player to fill a need, and they try to find the right player to fill that need. When prognosticators fill out a mock draft, they are doing a little of both. Best player at that stage of the draft, and team needs with the players available.

Looking through the mock drafts I have researched so far, there is one player who is seen to be the player that matches up with a team in a specific slot. Ndamukong Suh? Gerald McCoy? Sam Bradford? They are the consensus Top 3 Picks, and easily the top 3 on my DSA Player Rankings. But the player who is forecasted to go in one specific slot on the highest percentage of mock drafts? Joe Haden to Cleveland with the 7th overall pick. 71% of the mock drafts have Haden at that specific slot. Who is second? Bruce Campbell, with 59% of the drafts having him going to Oakland with the 8th overall selection. The two players tied at 3rd? C.J. Spiller at #14 to Seattle and Kyle Wilson at #20 to Houston, both at 53% of the drafts having them going at those specific position.

Cleveland needs help in many positions, but Haden is the premier cornerback in the draft. Even with his slow 40 time at the Combine, teams have seen enough game film of him playing at an elite level at Florida, and even though they need to shore up the defensive line Cleveland is looking like they will select Haden to solidify the pass defense.

Oakland has a priority to rebuild it's offensive line, and it appears that the Workout Wonder that Bruce Campbell became at the draft may be too tempting for Al Davis to pass up. Spiller looks to be the versatile, multi-threat back that Pete Carrol had at USC with Reggie Bush, and Seattle has issues in the offensive backfield. Houston was hit hard in free agency with the loss of Dunta Robinson, and Kyle Wilson is the 2nd rated corner and looks to fill the void.

Some teams draft for need, some take the best player available. That's what makes this draft so interesting. It is deep and filled with quality players. Teams can choose one or the other and the picks are most likely to work out in the end.

Mock Drafts Galore

Everywhere you look, someone has a mock draft. I'll have one soon enough. But there are two things I have noticed when looking at the drafts posted all over the Internet. Point #1, the top picks are the top picks, no matter where you look. Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy. They are the Top 3, and will most likely go in that order to St. Louis, Detroit and Tampa Bay. Point #2, the rest of the picks are scattered from the top to the bottom, and you are not likely to see agreement on who will go where.

So I had the idea to take all the information I could from mock draft everywhere and compile that info into what I hope is a useful tool. I call it the Draft Slot Average, or DSA. It's a simple concept. Take the positions that players are projected to go at, add them together and divide it by the number of drafts they are listed in. Simple enough in theory, and for a draftnik like myself it is like being in numbers heaven.

My first DSA list has 19 players listed on all the mock drafts I researched, and another 16 that were listed on at least 50% of the mocks. Of the 19 listed on all the drafts, Taylor Mays had the lowest average at 21.00. 5 players were graded at 21.00 or better of those on the remaining boards. Of those only Bruce Campbell had a DSA more than 1 full point better that Mays, and that is due to his outstanding workout at the Combine in Indianapolis. Before then many drafts did not even have him listed as a first rounder.

More research will be added to what I have already come up with and when I get the data I am looking for I'll be posting my Mock Draft based on the DSA scores. I'll put my Mock Draft up against anyone else. Let the Draft Games begin.