Raiders finally find their Mr. McDreamy
Lane Kiffin said he knew months ago that Arkansas running back Darren McFadden ''was the guy we had to have."
Months ago? Try years and years ago.
By selecting McFadden fourth overall, the Raiders drafted themselves a certifiable playmaking threat, something their offense has glaringly lacked for far too long.
''I want to play great and make big plays," McFadden said to finish his conference call with the Bay Area media. That short line is all we really needed to hear. And then he was gone. It was breakaway speed, at its finest.
He was the most dynamic weapon in the draft. It so happens the Raiders needed a playmaker. Add it up and this fits as well as that white sweat suit does on Al Davis.
If McFadden plays as advertised, he'll give the Raiders a home run threat that Davis has long desired but rarely found. Randy Moss provided it in his first four games of 2005. Napoleon Kaufman did the same with his wicked sprints from 1995-2000. Dare we bring Bo Jackson's two-decades-old heroics into this mix?
McFadden's 40-yard-dash time (4.33 seconds) should impress you. So should his versatility, his back-to-back runner-up finishes for the Heisman Trophy and his ability to dominate amid the nation's toughest collegiate competition in the Southeastern Conference.
Fellow SEC product JaMarcus Russell, taken No.1 overall last season by the Raiders out of LSU, will be responsible for getting the ball to McFadden for years to come, if all goes according to plan.
One man (or two, if you count JaMarcus Russell) will not save the Raiders from their five-year freefall into the NFL dungeon. But their offense sure looks a lot more promising (and a lot less boring) by selecting skill-position phenoms with their top draft picks the past two years.
McFadden has a great tutor in top-notch running backs coach Tom Rathman. They've already bonded, and McFadden thinks his fumbling woes have been solved by Rathman's recommendations.
McFadden instantly gives the Raiders the two-back set that almost all NFL teams need to thrive and survive. The Raiders especially need it while establishing a threat at wide receiver, where Javon Walker and Drew Carter join Ronald Curry.
McFadden makes more sense. He'll make more dynamic plays for what's been a drab offense. Just move toward the end zone as fast as you can, Mr. McDreamy, and the Raider Nation will forever embrace you.
Cam Inman is a Bay Area News Group-East Bay columnist.
