Draft grades: Raiders bypass needs, opt for flash

By Anthony Carroll  |   Monday, April 28, 2008  |  Comments( 110 )

Oakland Raiders
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The Oakland Raiders only had one Day 1 draft choice, but they sure made it a good one. At least from a controversial standpoint.

Arkansas halfback Darren McFadden jumpstarted a draft for the Raiders that included just five total picks, two trades and, not surprisingly, a really, really fast cornerback.

With all teams now off the clock, here’s a report-card-style breakdown of each of Oakland’s picks and a final draft grade.

• Round 1, Pick 4: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

This pick would look much better if Oakland wasn’t already so deep at running back. The Raiders currently have four capable halfbacks signed to their roster -- Justin Fargas, Dominic Rhodes, Michael Bush and LaMont Jordan -- and two of those ball carriers (Fargas and Rhodes) were given extensions this offseason.

Without a doubt, though, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound McFadden will bring a new dimension to the field next season. McFadden has excellent acceleration, and he instantly becomes the team's fastest, most explosive option on the ground. In three years with the Razorbacks, the former SEC standout carried the ball 785 times for 4,590 yards and 41 touchdowns.

McFadden’s the first running back team owner Al Davis has selected in the first round since drafting Napoleon Kaufman 18th overall 13 years ago. That, alone, is a major statement: Plan on seeing a lot of the rookie next season.

Grade: B

• Round 4, Pick 100: Tyvon Branch, CB, Connecticut

The Raiders gave up one of their seventh-round picks to Dallas to move up four spots in Round 4 to grab Branch. The 5-11, 204-pounder ran a 4.31 40-yard dash, which is very likely why Davis spent the team’s second pick in the draft on him. In four years with Connecticut, the speedy DB totaled 230 tackles, 18 pass breakups and three interceptions.

As just a cornerback, this pick would grade very low, considering DB ranks close to the bottom on the list of needs for the Raiders. Branch, however, ranked 13th in the nation last year with a kick return average of 29.0 yards, including two for touchdowns. With KR/DB Chris Carr gone, Branch may be the man filling the void on returns next year. If not, this pick is a real head-scratcher.

Grade: C-minus

• Round 4, Pick 125: Arman Shields, WR, Richmond

As expected, Oakland dealt away cornerback Fabian Washington on draft weekend, sending the former first-round pick in 2005 away to Baltimore for the 125th choice on Sunday.

With that pick, they took the 6-1, 194-pound Arman Shields, who has good speed (4.44 40-yard dash) and tremendous hands; however, he has been hurt by his lack of explosiveness and marginal level of competition faced while at Richmond. Shields also only played in three games as a senior, missing the bulk of the ‘07 campaign with an ACL tear. On a positive note, however, Shields demonstrated that he hasn’t lost a step since, ranking in the top 10 at his position in all seven of the main events at the NFL combine.

Grade: C-plus

• Round 6, Pick 169: Trevor Scott, DE, Buffalo

Finally, in Round 6, Oakland picked up a player who could fall into one of its “need” positions. Many had the Raiders selecting Virginia’s Chris Long fourth overall to remedy the team’s thinness at defensive end; because Long was taken second by the Rams, Davis opted to search for depth much later.

Scott has both great measurables (6-5, 256 pounds) and speed (4.63 in the 40), but comes from a struggling program with very little national exposure. The former tight end played in 41 games with the Buffalo Bulls (24 starts), and recorded 99 tackles, 19 sacks, 12 quarterback pressures and 28½ stops for losses. With 10 sacks as a senior, Scott ranked second in the MAC and 16th in the NCAA in the category.

Grade: B-plus

• Round 7, Pick 226: Chaz Schilens, WR, San Diego State

This is the third straight season Davis has closed off his team’s draft by taking a wide receiver. In 2007, it was Louisiana State’s Jonathan Holland; in 2006, it was Maine’s Kevin McMahon. Holland is still on the roster, while McMahon was cut prior to ‘06.

The problem for Schilens is that with Shields being selected in Round 4, Oakland now has 12 wideouts on its roster. Still, the late-rounder appears to have all that Davis likes: size (6-4, 220), speed (4.38 40 time) and, well, he can jump (43-inch vertical). The 22-year-old had an injury-rattled senior season with the Aztecs, but still managed to haul in 35 passes for 679 yards and three TDs.

Grade: B

Final Draft Grade: C-plus

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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CommentsComments: 110  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
04:16 AM
04/28/2008
ha ha 1st yea! anyway i loved the mcadden pick, after that it was all gambles, branch might be something to look forward to but...
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No.2
04:50 AM
04/28/2008
The more I look and analyze this, I think we made the right move by drafting Darren McFadden. Sure many here feel the Raiders...
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No.3
The Shape		05:08 AM
04/28/2008
Mcfadden was a no brainer, but after that I don't know what happened. Where was the offensive lineman/ defensive lineman we...
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