Raiders’ draft garners negative reviews

By Brad Wilbricht  |   Monday, April 27, 2009  |  Comments( 45 )

Oakland Raiders
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The 2009 NFL draft was falling right into place for the Oakland Raiders until Al Davis’ need for speed came to the forefront yet again. Although Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree and Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin were still on the board, the Raiders opted for the raw speed of Darrius Heyward-Bey from Maryland with the seventh overall pick.

While Heyward-Bey is a solid player with a great deal of upside, selecting him so early was a severe reach by the Raiders. Heyward-Bey had a tremendous combine workout, but his abilities on the field are unproven. Crabtree and Maclin are much more polished receivers and were rated higher on nearly everyone’s draft board. However, Oakland felt Heyward-Bey was the best option and made him the first receiver chosen in the draft.

With a mid- or late-first round grade on Heyward-Bey, the Raiders may have been able to trade down and still acquire the former Terrapin. In that scenario, Oakland would have secured additional draft picks while still getting the speedy wideout it craved. Working against the Raiders was the fact that the New York Jets had already jumped up to the fifth pick in order to obtain quarterback Mark Sanchez of USC.

After the selection of Heyward-Bey, the Raiders make another surprising pick, this time in the second round. Ohio safety Mike Mitchell, a relative unknown around draft circles, was the choice. With other safeties such as William Moore from Missouri and Alabama’s Rashad Johnson on the board, Oakland’s draft logic has once again came under fire with the Mitchell pick.

After a suspect first day, the theme continued Sunday; in Round 3, the Raiders picked defensive end Matt Shaughnessy from Wisconsin. While Shaughnessy demonstrates adequate ability, there were several defenders rated much higher. Wide receiver Louis Murphy of Florida presented value in the fourth round, but the ensuing selections of Oregon State linebacker Slade Norris and defensive end Stryker Sulak of Missouri caused even more concern. Iowa tight end Brandon Myers, who concluded the Raiders' 2009 draft, could be a sleeper.

While all of the aforementioned draftees could develop into respectable players, the fact remains that the Oakland front office is still out on an island in regards to its personnel decisions. Just when Al Davis seemed to have recaptured his wisdom with a solid offseason, the draft raises major question marks. Time will indicate how this draft class turns out, but it will certainly be a much-scrutinized group.
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About Brad Wilbricht

Brad Wilbricht covers numerous sporting events including the NFL, NFL Draft and college football. His analysis is simulcast through several media outlets across the country. Additionally, Brad is a regular guest on a variety of talk radio shows and can be frequently heard on the airwaves. To...
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