Who Should the Oakland Raiders Take in Round 1?

At the end of April when young men's thoughts turn to...the NFL draft, the moribund Oakland Raiders face a difficult choice.Why is the choice difficult you say? Let's start with the fact that since the Super Bowl blowout loss to Tampa Bay in 2003, the Raiders have the worst won lost record in the NFL. This is the third time in that period that the "Raidas" have had a top 5 pick in the 1st round.

The jury is still out on last year's Jamarcus Russell, the overall #1. I believe Jamarcus Russell will be a star, it's just a matter of when. The other top 5, Robert Gallery, has been a disappointment, if not an outright bust. So, should Oakland take the explosive Darren McFadden, who should still be available with the 4th or 5th pick? Should the Raiders trade down a couple of spots and nab Warren Sapp-like Sedrick Ellis, a defensive tackle out of USC? Will anyone want to trade up to that spot?

Running back is not the weakest spot on the Oakland roster. It looks as though Lamont Jordan, after a hot start to the season, is on the downhill side of his career. Dominique Rhodes is solid. Justin Fargas rushed for over 1,000 yards before an injury ended his season, but no one seems to believe that Fargas is the longterm answer.

Although the offensive line was improved over their disastrous 2006 campaign, the team could still use help there. Jake Long of Michigan should still be available when the Oakland Raiders pick.

Jerry Porter seems to be the only one who thinks Jerry Porter is a #1 NFL wide receiver. Receiver is another glaring need on the Raiders offense. Trade down and take Mario Manningham or another wideout, maybe? Again, the possibilities of that depend on another team looking to move up.

Let's look at the teams picking ahead of Oakland.

#1 Miami. No way Parcells takes a running back here. The Fish will take Glenn Dorsey, Chris Long, or trade down in my opinion given parcells history.

#2 St. Louis. The Rams need nearly everything except a runner or QB. Whoever Miami doesn't take between Dorsey or Long makes the most sense.

#3. Atlanta. After Bobby Petrino left the Falcons for Arkansas, would the team take a Razorback in spite of the PR angle? Also, Atlanta took two players, Jamaal Anderson and Chris Houston out of Arkansas last year and neither did much. With a choice between Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman at QB...Matt Ryan of Boston College would be hard to resist.

#4 Even if the Raiders lose the coinflip to Kansas City, don't look for the Chiefs to take McFadden unless Larry Johnson's foot or attitude are a problem. With the offensive line retirements the Chiefs have had in the last 3 years, Jake Long would be the obvious choice as the best O-lineman available.

#5 Which brings us to the Oakland Raiders, unless they win the coinflip and choose #4. Either way, the Raiders of recent years have almost completely lacked big play capabilities on offense. The defense is in the top half of the league and might do better than that given a lead to work with on occasion. Not being backed into a corner due to the O's ineptness and turnovers would be a plus also.

If big play ability on offense is the primary factor in the Raiders choice, they need to draft Darren McFadden. Even though he runs a bit high and doesn't always use his blockers well, DMac as he is known in Arkansas, made more big plays in the SEC since any running back since Bo Jackson. He is the 2nd leading rusher in the SEC's illustrious history, trailing only Herschel Walker, and accomplished the feat in only 3 years.

McFadden has a combination of toughness and sprinter speed seldom seen. He played against mighty USC in 2006 only a little over a month after having his big toe almost severed, requiring emergency surgery. Both Pat Dye who coached Auburn's Bo Jackson and Georgia's Vince Dooley who coached Walker, have called McFadden the best SEC runner since Jackson won the Heisman in 1985. Garrison Hearst, Emmett Smith, and Deuce McAllister all played in the SEC since then, by the way.

If the Oakland Raiders are given an offer to swap first round picks in exchange for an extra pick or two, I could see trading down and taking Sedrick Ellis. But, unless the offer involves at least picking up an extra second rounder or more , the Raiders would do well to take Darren Mcfadden. A guy can be taught to run with lower pad level. He can learn to run out of bounds on occasion, rather than taking on NFL linebackers or strong safeties too much. But a runner can't be taught to be tougher than a two-dollar steak while running with lightning speed.

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