Up until the start of the NFL free agency period, it was like pulling teeth to get anything new out of Oakland other than more Lane Kiffin firing rumors. Since that day, the Raiders have been working at a feverish pace to rework the roster that only brought them four wins last year.
Now that the Raiders have expanded the payroll to near cap level, I expect that there will be a lull in the action until draft day. This might be a good time to go through the roster and analyze the depth chart and the revised needs.
QB
Depth:
JaMarcus Russell
Andrew Walter
N/A
Need: FREE AGENCY - You can go into the season with two QBs, but one of them better be experienced. This means the Raiders will need to sign a backup in order to provide solid depth if Russell goes down.
RB
Depth:
Justin Fargas
Dominic Rhodes
Michael Bush
Adimchinobe Echemandu
Lamont Jordan
Need: NONE – What they need to do is cut or trade Jordan—and even then, they’ll have one too many RBs.
FB
Depth:
Justin Griffith
Oren Oneal
Need: NONE – May be a strength on the team.
TE
Depth:
Zach Miller
John Madsen
Tony Stewart
Fred Wakefield
Need: NONE – Another possible strength for the team. Only three of these guys are going to make the team and I’m pretty sure that Miller and Madsen will be two of them.
WR
Depth:
Javon Walker
Ronald Curry
Drew Carter
Johnie Lee Higgins
Chris McFoy
Jonathan Holland
Will Buchanon
Drisan James
Need: DRAFT – Tim Dwight is still listed on the team, but it’s unlikely he’ll be resigned. Higgins and McFoy haven’t proved themselves to be NFL-caliber receivers and the top three on the depth chart have all been brittle during their careers. The Raiders have to draft a receiver.
OT
Depth:
Cornell Green
Paul McQuistan
Kwame Harris
Mario Henderson
Mark Wilson
Seth Wand
Jonathan Palmer
Need: DRAFT – At this time, I can’t think of any Left Tackles on the market worth signing and none of these guys have been starting Left Tackles in the league. This position could be a problem, but I don’t know much about being an offensive line coach so I’ll defer to whatever Tom Cable says we should do.
OG
Depth:
Robert Gallery
Cooper Carlisle
Paul McQuistan
Jake Grove
Chris Morris
Jesse Boone
Need: DRAFT or
FREE AGENCY – This is a position that we have both starters ready to play on the line for a second year straight and we can fill the depth either late in the draft or during free agency. Not really a need, but we should probably make sure that we haven’t overlooked anyone—especially since the depth could be starting at other positions.
C
Depth:
Jake Grove
Chris Morris
Jesse Boone
Need: FREE AGENCY – I’d like to see us re-sign Newberry, but if we don’t we should be fine going into the season.
CB
Depth:
Nnamdi Asomugha
DeAngelo Hall
Stanford Routt
Fabian Washington
Chris Johnson
John Bowie
Need: TRADE – Now that Hall and Asomugha are under contract, the Raiders need to trade either Washington or Routt. Carr is probably going to sign on elsewhere and the Raiders are unlikely to match any deal.
S
Depth:
Michael Huff
Gibril Wilson
Hiram Eugene
Stuart Schwiegert
Jarrod Cooper
Rashad Baker
Need: NONE – With Wilson and Huff starting and the depth full of talent, this is a strength this season. Cooper still needs to re-sign, but after the special teams play dropped off after his injury last season, it’s a sure bet he’ll be with the team.
LB
Depth:
Kirk Morrison
Thomas Howard
Robert Thomas
Sam Williams
Isaiah Ekejiuba
Ricky Brown
John Alston
Need: DRAFT or
FREE AGENCY – Either way, the Raiders need to pick up a strong side linebacker. Thomas is nothing more than a backup, along with the rest of the linebackers not named Howard or Morrison.
DE
Depth:
Derrick Burgess
Jay Richardson
Tommy Kelly
Sam Williams
Need: DRAFT or
FREE AGENCY – Long and Gholston have been popular choices at the No. 4 pick, but I’m starting to think that the Raiders aren’t going to be picking there. If that’s the case, then they will be drafting this position later in the draft. Al Davis is a master at finding talent at this position so it’s a good bet that he already has a plan here.
DT
Depth:
Tommy Kelly
Gerrard Warren
Terrell Sands
William Joseph
Josh Shaw
Need: FREE AGENCY – Expect this to be a position where an undrafted free agent or lesser known veteran is picked up. Like with DEs, Davis has been pretty good with diamonds in the rough here too.
Special Teams
K – Sebastian Janikowski
P – Shane Lechler
LS – John Condo
Need: NONE – The Raiders are set here, especially since Kiffin isn’t afraid to go for the 50+ yard field goal once a game.
Analysis:
Although many in Raider Nation are clamoring for McFadden here, I think that the Raiders will have a tough choice to make between sitting at the fourth spot and picking Jake Long or McFadden, or trading back for more picks. I know that Davis is more likely to trade up, but I really can’t see how he’ll pull that off this year.
The more I think about it, the more I can see Jerry Jones and Al Davis making a blockbuster trade that enables the Cowboys to draft McFadden. According to the chart, the Cowboys would be giving up both of their first round picks, a third rounder and a fifth rounder. Since the Cowboys need very little to make a championship run, this could be a likely scenario. Whatever the Raiders do, it’ll definitely be interesting.
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5 months ago
Me and fellow Bleacher report blogger, Jeff agree that trading down to Dallas is a risky situation because we believe that the real defensive prospects are only available for the top 10 picks and going down to #22 would be too risky to find solid talent. Ellis, Dorsey, Long, Gholston are all defensive playmakers and will only be available for the top 10 if not top 5 drfat picks. Knowing that the Raiders can solidify their D-line with this draft considerably with any one of the players mentioned above. Tom Cable did a great job last year on the O-line last year and with addition of Kwame Harris, who supposedly didnt mesh well in the 49ers offense, is believed to go well in Tom Cables run O-line just like he did with Galley. Knowing that I think the Raiders should primarily concentrate on the D-line as that was the Raiders main problem last year and teams quickly exploited it for their own advantage by running the ball continously. Also with a better D-line, the passing game will be affected as well. With the D-line constantly putting pressure on the QB and our newly enhanced secondary covering the recievers, the QB would be down on the ground before he can even find an open target.
from 5 months ago
We are not taking a D-Lineman in the top five, unless it's long. Get over it.
5 months ago
"The more I think about it, the more I can see Jerry Jones and Al Davis making a blockbuster trade that enables the Cowboys to draft McFadden. According to the chart, the Cowboys would be giving up both of their first round picks, a third rounder and a fifth rounder."
In principle, I'd support that. But after last year's debacle...
5 months ago
i have read reports out of dallas that are saying they will "not" give up that much to trade up for mcfadden they are reportedly very happy with barber as there starter and reports say jerry jones will be more than happy to draft the "other" arkansas running back felix jones however reports have it that the ravens are looking to move up to try and draft matt ryan since it is now being reported that the falcons interest is leaning toward glenn dorsey but i still personally dont see how the falcons could pass up matt ryan if he falls to them with 3rd pick they need a qb way to bad to pass on him ultimatly i guess no one will know anything until april 26th
5 months ago
i think this is going to be one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory
from 5 months ago
I agree. Watch as Oakland, Miami, and St. Louis all trade down and totally demolish everyone's draft board.
That would be fun.
5 months ago
Raiders should get Chris Long or vernon Gholston and use the later rounds for the offensive line or line backer position and wideout position.
Im Thinkin Marcus Monk or Adarius Bowman In The 5th or 6h.
Raiders Should Get A veteran quarterback like leftwich or culpepper .
And should i consider that they shuld sign a linebacker like ian gold.
5 months ago
Oh Yea and I Hope lamont jordan gets traded or released and goes the same for fabian washington and stuart shweaigert.....Its time to put john bowie to work!!
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