Al Davis Needs Help: NFL Draft Proves He's Lost It...Again

38.5

6.80

4.18

Yamon Figurs

2007: R3, P10

74th Overall

28/418/3

5’11” 180lbs

4.30

DNP

DNP

6.85

4.21

Johnny Knox

2009: R5, P4

140th Overall

56/1069/13

6’0” 185lbs

4.34

DNP

35.0

6.81

4.15

Ted Ginn Jr.

2007: R1, P9

Ninth Overall

59/781/9

5’11”

4.38**

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

* - Division II Player

** - Pro-Day result, player was injured during the NFL combine.

 

Statistically, no one player really stands out all that much.  How do these similar numbers translate into the NFL? Obviously it’s nearly impossible to tell before some of these guys have ever touched the field, so until they do, all we can do is speculate. 

Ginn Jr. is the highlight of the group, but the man is clearly not a number one option for any team.  And you don’t draft a No. 2 position player in the top 10 of an NFL draft—or any draft for that matter. 

The rest of the players listed that have played have been relegated to a return specialist role for the most part.

But there’s no doubting DHB is a tremendous athlete – anyone who can run 40-yards in 4.3 seconds is a freak.  But there’s a difference between athleticism and production in sports.  Can DHB do it? Could he be the next Randy Moss? Absolutely. He could be.  He has tremendous potential.  But so did Troy Williamson when the Vikings drafted him in ’05. 

Oh, and it’s not like the University of Maryland produces top-tier Wide Receiver talent.  DHB, for all of his speed and quickness, didn’t even make the All-ACC team. He didn’t even make All-ACC Second Team (however he did receive honorable mentions…give credit where credit is due). 

And the last time a Maryland receiver landed in the first round you ask? That would happen to be this bad ass in 1962—interestingly enough, the year prior to Al Davis becoming the Raiders Head Coach at the age of 33.

But the problem doesn’t lie in DHB being a potential first round bust, it lies in how Al Davis operates a multi-million dollar franchise.  At the very least, Davis could have at least attempted to trade down.

Hell, even if he just traded down three or four spots for as little as a fifth or sixth round pick (which is ridiculous in concept anyway, but ANY team would be obliged to take advantage of old man winter for that), then they could at least get something else out of it.

Alas, Davis didn’t though, and now he’ll most likely be spending something similar to Ginn Jr.’s contract of $19.6 million over five-years, that is, if they’re lucky—last year’s number seven draft pick, Sedrick Ellis, commanded a contract worth up to $49 million.

At this rate, we’ll be seeing Usain Bolt suiting up in no time.

Just remember Al:

Speed kills.

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