Mock Draft - Raiders Have To Take Russell
Talk excitedly about his 6-foot-5, 239-pound frame, his incredible 4.37 speed, his impressive reserves of character and refreshing humility.
Just don't call the Oakland Raiders fools when they pass on the Georgia Tech wide receiver on April 28th. Anyone with a working knowledge of draft history knows that forgoing JaMarcus Russell - the consensus choice as the top quarterback in this year's class - in order to crown a pass-catcher as team savior is not nearly worth the risk.
Since the AFL/NFL merger, only two receivers - Keyshawn Johnson in 1996 and Irving Fryar in 1984 - have gone number one overall.
Though a solid pro, Johnson has been a 1,000-yard receiver in only four of his 11 NFL seasons.
Fryar was more than serviceable in his nine years with New England, but was a more effective player while with the Dolphins and Eagles later in his career.
Neither was the dominant, franchise-altering player that a team holding the No. 1 selection expects to draft at noon on selection Saturday.
And since 1996, when the Jets took Keyshawn, only one other wideout has been selected with one of the top two picks. Hey, what's Charles Rogers doing these days, anyway?
Not that picking a quarterback guarantees immediate success either. In the past 25 years or so, there have been great No. 1 signal-callers (John Elway, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning), pretty good No. 1s (Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe, Michael Vick, Carson Palmer), disappointing No. 1s (Jeff George, Tim Couch, David Carr), and a couple of No. 1s for whom the jury is still out (Eli Manning, Alex Smith).
There is not now nor will there ever be a sure thing at No. 1, and the high profile with which that player is saddled by virtue of his top selection will always make it an uncomfortable situation for the team doing the choosing.
If the Oakland Raiders take JaMarcus Russell and he does a Couch-like face-plant, the organization will have to answer for the pick for decades. But what must be acknowledged at this moment is that the strong-armed LSU quarterback at least possesses the potential to alter the landscape of the Oakland franchise for the better. That potential should mean everything to Al Davis, Lane Kiffin, and the Silver and Black brain trust.
Calvin Johnson may be the best wide receiver the NFL Draft has ever seen, but as a wide receiver, is he worth the number one pick?
If you're a student of history, you know he's not.
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