Oakland Woes: Raiders' Run D a Product of Poor Draft Decisions

Looking back, though, it's also no mystery how it all got that way.

The problem with the Raiders' D-line isn't exactly the same as that of the O-line. Over the past four years, Oakland has drafted four offensive linemen within the first three rounds. Of course, not all of them have lived up to expectations, but with a little help from free agency and a new coach, the Raiders' front five finally earned some respectability in 2007.

The defensive line, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

Over the past eight years, the Raiders have taken just three defensive linemen in the first three rounds of the draft. Of the three—Quentin Moses (2007), Tyler Brayton (2003) and DeLawrence Grant (2001)—only one (Brayton) still remains on the team's roster. Also, of those three, none are defensive tackles.

The last time the Raiders took a DT prior to the third round of an NFL draft was 10 years ago, when the team chose Leon Bender, a 300-pounder from Washington State, with the first pick in the second round. Bender had been treated for epilepsy at the age of 22 and was found dead in a bathroom just one month after being drafted. He signed a $3.45 million contract with the team, but he was never able to play a game.

After Bender, the last DT taken higher than Round 3 to play a down for the Raiders was Darrell Russell, who was on the team for five seasons before violating the league's substance abuse policy and leaving for Washington in 2003. On Dec. 15, 2005, Russell died in a car crash near Los Angeles.

Surprisingly, over the past half-decade, Oakland has only drafted three other D-linemen later than the third round. Those three have been DE Jay Richardson, DT Anttaj Hawthorne and DE Shawn Johnson. Only Richardson, who was drafted last year and started in 11 games as a rookie, is still an active member of the team.

Not too ironically, Oakland has spent eight draft picks on defensive backs over the past five years, and it has ranked much better against the pass (eighth in 2007 and first in 2006).

In this year's draft, the Raiders will flip a coin with the Atlanta Falcons for the third overall selection. As of now, LSU's Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis of USC are considered to be the top interior linemen prospects in the nation. It's been 11 years, though, since Oakland has used a first pick on a DT.

Currently, the teams top tackles are Terdell Sands, Gerard Warren and Tommy Kelly, who can play both DT and DE. Sands, however, is coming off an extremely disappointing '07 campaign, while neither Kelly nor Warren have proven to be reliable every-down DTs.

It's been over a decade since Oakland has drafted and developed its own big-name defensive tackle. If that alone isn't a reason to break that trend this offseason, just take a look at some game film from 2007.

Glenn Dorsey may not be able to fix everything, but it'd be a good start.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at [e-mail]