Oakland Raiders: Grading Strength of Every Positional Unit, Pre-Draft Edition

Apart from outside linebacker, Reggie McKenzie believes the Oakland Raiders have "a guy that can line up and start at every position." That means McKenzie will be shifting his focus from starters to backups during the 2012 NFL Draft.

With only a few mid-round draft picks, McKenzie would be lucky to find an immediate starter and will likely be looking to add guys his coaches can develop who can also play special teams. With the starters nearly being set, it's time to grade each positional unit to determine where McKenzie should keep his focus.

Quarterbacks

Quarterback is king in the NFL. Say what you want about the trade that brought Carson Palmer to Oakland, but for the first time in a long time the Raiders have an above-average quarterback. Palmer showed signs of rust and made plenty of questionable decisions in 2011, but he'll have a full offseason to get acquainted with his receivers and the new offensive scheme.

Behind Palmer are Terrelle Pryor and Rhett Bomar. Both are young quarterbacks with some potential, but neither is the veteran backup who gives piece of mind.

Considering what Greg Knapp was able to do with T.J. Yates last season in Houston, McKenzie might be willing to roll the dice and make Pryor or Bomar the primary backup.

Grade: B+

Backs

When healthy, Darren McFadden is one of the top players in the league and adds another dimension to the offense. Hue Jackson is probably thinking that he would still have a job with the Raiders if McFadden had stayed healthy all season in 2011.

Health aside, McFadden is a weapon every team would love to have. The Raiders will just have to hedge their bet on McFadden knowing he might not be able to stay healthy for an entire season.

Behind McFadden is Taiwan Jones. Jones is another speed demon, but few think he is capable of anything more than an auxiliary role in the offense. He's certainly not the big back who can grind down defenses at the end of games.

Marcel Reece is a unique fullback, if you can even call him a fullback. He's an excellent back to have running passing routes as he was a receiver in college. Reece has also really improved his lead-blocking over the past two seasons. When given the opportunity, he has been capable running the football.

Good things tend to happen when the Raiders put the ball in Reece's hands.

Deep on the bench are two big backs and a fullback. Rashawn Jackson and Lonyae Miller are both 230 pounds or more. The zone-blocking system has turned lesser names into starters. Manase Tonga is a blocking fullback who played well in that role in 2011.

The need for a backup running back is not as severe as many seem to think.

Grade: A

Receivers/Tight Ends

It has been rocky at the receiver position since Tim Brown and Jerry Rice donned the silver and black. The Raider Nation has long put their hope into this position only to find disappointment after disappointment.

The Raiders have had talent at the position: Jerry Porter, Randy Moss and Chaz Schilens all ended up disappointing for one reason or another. That's why it is so hard for some fans to get excited about the Raiders' group of receivers.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy are the core four with a couple of young guys battling for roster spots behind them in Eddie McGee and Derrick Jones.

Darrius Heyward-Bey finally had his breakout year and came within 25 yards of a 1,000-yard season, and Denarius Moore was a surprising rookie and averaged 18.7 yards per catch, tied for third in the league.

Jacoby Ford battled injury but is electric with the ball in his hands when healthy. Murphy found himself stuck at the bottom of the depth chart but produced when given opportunity. In the two games Murphy received more than 40 snaps, he caught a total of nine passes for 142 yards.

The Raiders still lack a true No. 1 option. Maybe Heyward-Bey or Denarius Moore will turn into No. 1 options or maybe they won't, but it's an exciting young group either way.

At tight end, Brandon Myers had nearly as many snaps as Kevin Boss last season. David Ausberry should see expanded reps if he continues to develop. Richard Gordon is a blocking specialist. The position goes three deep, and the tight end isn't Palmer's favorite target in the passing game. Should be adequate.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The Raiders bring back four of the five starters from 2011. Gone is center Samson Satele, and arriving is right guard Mike Brisiel. Stefen Wisniewski will move to center and Cooper Carlisle to left guard.

The line was much improved last season, and the team chose to just tweak the line for the new zone-blocking scheme.

Khalif Barnes and Cooper Carlisle are two players many fans wanted to see replaced, so why would they be re-signed?

The answer is actually quite simple. Both Barnes and Carlisle were solid pass blockers and poor run blockers in 2011. The zone-blocking scheme has mostly to do with the running game and doesn't require the lineman to win individual matchups. The new scheme should help Barnes and Carlisle considerably in that area. 

Jared Veldheer should continue to improve, and the Raiders should get more productive play out of the center position with Stefen Wisniewski moving to the middle.

Joseph Barksdale can provide quality depth and be competition to push the veterans.

The biggest addition to the line was Mike Brisiel at right guard. His addition solidifies the line and, along with the re-signing of Carlisle, enables Wisniewski to shift to center.

Grade: B+

Defensive Line

The Raiders return the core of their defensive line, once believed to be the strongest positional group on the team. Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly combined for 13.5 sacks up the middle in 2011.

Lamarr Houston only had one sack but was the the fifth best defensive end against the run according to ProFootballFocus and graded out positively in pass-rushing as well. 

Desmond Bryant added five sacks in part-time duty and had earned the starting job at right defensive end by the end of the season.

Matt Shaughnessy will return as the starter opposite Houston and likely be a three-down player at right defensive end, leaving Bryant to spell Houston on passing downs at left defensive end. 

The Raiders could use additional depth at both end and tackle, but the starters are solid even without pass-rush specialist Kamerion Wimbley.

Grade: A-

Linebacker

The Raiders re-signed Aaron Curry to play weak-side linebacker. He played well after coming over in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks. He still needs to work on his coverage, but Curry was stellar against the run and solidified a major weakness.

In the middle of the defense is third-year player Rolando McClain. McClain has been guilty of poor play and poor hustle. He has also been arrested on a misdemeanor gun charge. It's now or never for McClain to become the player he was drafted to be. If he doesn't produce now, he may be Al Davis' last draft bust.

The only other linebackers on the roster are oft-injured Travis Goethel and Carl Ihenacho. Ihenacho slipped onto the roster unnoticed. If Goethel can stay healthy, he might be able to push McClain as he did last preseason.

There isn't a strong-side linebacker on the roster, and there is very little depth. 

Grade: D+

Cornerbacks

Of the 36 possible starts at cornerback in 2011, 30 are no longer on the roster. Only the five starts between DeMarcus Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa remain.

Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson were the starters at the beginning of the season and were both released. Lito Sheppard started seven games and will not likely not return.

McKenzie went bargain hunting in free agency and found Ron Bartell, Shawntae Spencer and Pat Lee. Brandon Underwood was previously signed for depth and competition and could convert to safety.

There's plenty of youth and two veteran starters—just about the right mix. McKenzie could bring in another player or two for competition.

Scheme change for the cornerbacks is key. The Raiders go from a primarily man scheme to a zone scheme. Head coach Dennis Allen likes to create pressure, and pressure is a cornerback's best friend.

Grade: C+

Safeties

Michael Huff returns to Raiders and will be the starting free safety. The team will probably try to keep Huff at free safety instead of rotating him down to cornerback. The stability could be a good thing for Huff as he needs to have a good year to stick with the Raiders past this season.

The Raiders made Tyvon Branch their franchise player, an indication of what the new regime thinks of the strong safety. Branch was one of the few players in the secondary who played well for the Raiders last season, and he should fit into the Raiders' new defense extremely well. 

Behind Huff is probably one of Brandon Underwood or Chimdi Chekwa. Behind Tyvon Branch is Mike Mitchell.

Mitchell can also play nickel linebacker and has often been called upon to cover the opposition's tight end. He needs to have a big year as the new regime could be looking to expel the dead weight. The lack of depth at safety means he could stick for one more year.

Grade: B

Offensive GPA 3.25

Defensive GPA: 2.5

Overall GPA: 3.0 (Rounded)