Give the Oakland Raiders an "A" for Their Draft Picks in 2010

There was a six-year old boy who received his first report card, but he did not take it home to his parents. He threw it away.

When asked after a few days where his report card was, he told his mother that he threw it away because he had one "B" and all "A's." The young boy thought "B" stood for "bad."

Well, the Oakland Raiders report card was truly considered "bad" by most sports commentators in previous years. But, this year the Oakland Raiders got a grade of "A."

Wow, it feels good to make a good grade!

If you compare the Raiders with other teams in the AFC West, here is what you see:

Broncos      C-

Chiefs        C+

Chargers     C+

Raiders       A

Now the typical question when one student realizes that another made a better grade is, What did you do to get that "A"?

The Oakland Raiders are not like the little boy who threw away his first report card because he thought that "B" stood for bad. The Oakland Raiders showed dramatic improvement and made it clear that "A" stands for excellent.

In other words, there is a new commitment to excellence in the atmosphere of the Oakland Raiders and the Raider Nation.

Well, here is a portion of the answer to why the Raiders earned an "A".

The best pick was LB Rolando McClain, Alabama. He has been called a natural leader and a physical force, by USA Today Sports Weekly.

Other impressive picks were:

LaMarr Houston, Texas

Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale

T. Bruce Campbell, Maryland

Jacoby Ford, Clemson

CB Walter McFadden, Auburn

Travis Goethel, Arizona

Jeremy Ware, Michigan

S. Stevie Brown, Michigan

So, the Oakland Raiders made an "A" because they selected players whose collective talents are graded "A".

It takes team work. And "I" is not in the word "team."

Go Raiders!