The Raiders' Long Overdue Rebuilding of the O-Line Appears on Track

It has been some time since anything really substantial has been done to overhaul the Raiders' offensive line; 2009 appears to be the year this happens.

The signing of Kwame Harris to play left tackle in 2008 had everyone scratching their heads.  The guy was paid big money {incorrect number edited} like it was nothing to Al.

It would have made more sense to use a  piece of that Kwame Harris money to bring in a mid-range talent like free agent Khalif Barnes this year.

Mario Henderson has shown some stability at left tackle and should be good competition in training camp.  Though the fact remains, the Raiders need to have a lot of confidence at that position to protect JaMarcus Russell's blind side.

What is frustrating is the Raiders have been looking for a long term answer at LT for some time.  In 1998, the Raiders traded two second-round picks to Tampa Bay to draft Mo Collins with the 23rd overall pick as a left tackle. Mo did ok, but when he was injured in 1999, Barry Sims won the job.

Fans never really warmed up to Barry Sims. Yet, he did enough to impress Bill Callahan, an offensive line coach by trade in the Jon Gruden era. Barry Sims stayed in the starting lineup through the 2002 Super Bowl season, and Mo Collins was moved to guard.

Sims was a Raider for something like nine or 10 years. His decline really started in 2006 when Art Shell moved him to left guard to try and use Robert Gallery as an LT.

With both Sims and Gallery, it always seemed like every year they would try to upgrade from them both but it wouldn't happen. It was the same old, same old every season.

Though let's give credit where it is due. Al Davis has made some excellent personnel calls in bringing in O-line talent in the past. Ron Stone was a solid guard, Lincoln Kennedy at right tackle, Frank Middleton replaced in Steve Wisniewski left guard in 2001.

That edge has fallen off a bit with so-so players like Jake Grove and we still have the mediocre John Wade and Cooper Carlisle on board. Not that either player is a liability, they are just backups on other teams.

So far at right tackle, former Bronco Erik Pears will get an opportunity to win the position over incumbent Cornell Green. I would speculate the coaching staff expects Pears to win the job outright since they need an upgrade over Green.

It may be too much of a medical risk to bring in a guy like Marvel Smith if he is not able to play a full schedule of games.

One thing I noticed in reading some draft boards is Tulane used a zone blocking scheme and their left tackle grades in the top 10 at his position. Troy Kropog could be a good late round or free-agent signing.

Maybe he's not a starter for you, but he might be one of those projects worth having as a backup.

For immediate help at LT, the top guys don’t look to be on the board when Oakland selects seventh overall. Jason Smith of Baylor and Virginia’s Eugene Monroe are both “can’t miss” type players the Raiders won't have a shot at drafting unless they trade up.

After the top two left tackles there is Michael Oher of Ole Miss who is more of a raw talent and Andre Smith of Alabama whose draft stock has been dropping as of late.

Some nice finds I noticed that might slip into the middle rounds would be William Beatty of Connecticut and Jamon Meredith of South Carolina.

This year’s draft pool is deep with quality centers. Alex Mack would be a nice pick because he is local being from Cal.  He is also one of the top prospects at center in the draft.

If he is unavailable they would not have any drop-off in talent if Oregon’s Max Unger is still untapped.

Interestingly, Jonathan Luigs of Arkansas could potentially open running lanes for his old college teammate Darren McFadden in the pros. Luigs is last season’s Rimington Trophy for the best center.

If the Raiders manage to let all three of these guys slip off the board they can still do well by taking Eric Wood of Louisville or Alabama’s Antoine Caldwell who was a major force in the trenches for the Crimson Tide last season.

One way or the other, the Raiders have got to inject some fresh legs and talent into the Offensive Line. Too many lackluster seasons have passed where Al did not address the line needs sufficiently. That has to change for the Raiders to have a chance to succeed next season.