Raiders Sign Unknown Draft Choice

The Raiders have agreed to terms with 2nd round draft choice Michael Mitchell. Financial terms of the four-year deal have not been disclosed and it is pending league approval, but odds of the former Ohio Bobcat roaming the safety spot are looking good when the Raiders open training camp tomorrow in Napa, CA.

Mitchell is often better known to non-Raider fans and NFL experts as:

•  "Who?" 
• "Right, that guy Kiper hadn't heard of" 
•  "Oh yeah that guy the (insert disparaging Raider comment here) drafted way too high"
• "The guy who didn't even have a hilight reel?" and so on..... 

It may surprise many people to know that not only is the Raider Nation is quite aware of who Mitchell is, but we are very happy and excited to have him.

Largely disparaged and overlooked during the draft, he's foaming at the mouth to prove himself. As mentioned above, he was such an unknown that ESPN didn't even have hilights to show of him when he was drafted. The Raiders were widely and roundly criticized for picking the safety too high, despite reports that the Bears were about to pull the trigger on him as well.

The Nation has a good feeling about this kid, and in watching both his hilight tapes and his interviews, there is a lot to be excited about.

Barring any complications or questions from the league office, Mitchell will be the third signee from the Raiders 2009 draft class.

Apparently.

You see, the Raiders don't like to confirm the signing of draft choices, and they certainly won't go out of their way to make any sort of announcement. However, numerous sources over have reported that both DE Matt Shaughnessey, third round, and TE Brandon Myers, sixth round, have signed.

The Raiders need Shaugnessey to be a run stuffer and hold the edge at DE, and brought Myers in to take some of the blocking load away from emerging star Zach Miller.

Wide receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey, first round, and Louis Murphy, fourth round, who is represented by the esteemed Drew Rosenhaus, have yet to sign.

It is imperative that they do prior to camp, as receiver is a spot of concern for the Raiders. Even though Murphy's represented by ol' Drew, I expect them both signed and in camp with no problem.

The Raiders, with the notable exception of JaMarcus Russell, don't usually have difficulty locking up their draft choices prior to camp. The Mitchell signing is another step in the right direction.

Welcome to the Silver & Black, Mike. We're glad to have you, and can't wait for you to start making everyone eat their words.  

It's nice to have another potential assassin roaming the backfield. We need help at safety, and it'll be great to see you battle Eugene, Huff, and Tyvon for a seat at the table. Competition helps breed success.

Oh, and don't worry: lay that wood. We won't mind if you get fined for the right reasons.  

Sources:

ProFootballTalk - http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/07/27/raiders-agree-to-terms-with-mitchell/ 

San Francisco Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/raiders/detail?blogid=11&entry_id=44333