Are the Oakland Raiders a Contender Or Pretender

It's the same old story, will the Raiders be a good team, or will they once again fail to impress?

The Oakland Raiders are one of the more respected franchises that there has ever been in the entire NFL.

From John Madden to Jon Gruden. From Ken Stabler to Rich Gannon. From Rod Woodson to Nnamdi Asomugha.

What has happened to the Oakland Raiders? They used to be a feared franchise, now they are seen as an easy-win to add to your record books.

The question is... Are the Raiders for real, or just a bottom of the barrel team like they have been for the past five years.

Let's take a look at the surprising picks that the Oakland Raiders made in the 2009 draft.

1. Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR

Maybe a surprising pick to some, but I actually expected this to happen. Al Davis is all about getting the speed receivers. Darrius Heyward-Bey seems like a bust to me, but feel free to disagree.

2. Michael Mitchell, SS

I had absolutely no idea who this guy was before they announced his name during the second round of the draft. I took a look at a video of the former Ohio star. He is a hard-hitter who loves to spend his time in the weight room.

3. Matt Shaughnessy, DE

Matt Shaughnessy is a good pick. He has great size at 6"5, 266 pounds. He had a very successful career at Wisconsin.

4. Louis Murphy, WR

I didn't really understand why the Raiders spent two picks on receivers. I figured that Heyward-Bey was going to be enough for them. I was wrong. Nonetheless, Murphy is an excellent receiver for Oakland.

5. Slade Norris, DE/OLB

Slade Norris is too small to play defensive end, which leads me to believe that he will play at outside linebacker if he happens to start.

6. Stryker Sulak, DE

Another pick that didn't make sense to me. Oakland wasn't that thin on the defensive line, but they have already spent three picks on players who are normally defensive ends.

7. Brandon Myers, TE

Brandon Myers will be more of a blocking tight end for the Raiders. They have Zach Miller to catch passes, and now Brandon Myers to block for the running backs. Solid pick by Oakland.

Overall the Raiders had a decent draft. I would give them a D after this pitiful effort to try and get a bunch of speed players.

Louis Murphy and Shaughnessy were the best picks for where they were selected. The rest of the selections were absolute reaches.

The Raiders team is filled with a lot of young talent with potential that is through the roof.

Oakland has several play-makers on offense such as JaMarcus Russel, Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, D.H.B., Johnnie Lee Higgins, Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy, and Zach Miller.

What will they amount to next season?

JaMarcus Russel has shown signs of stardom, but then he comes back a game later with inaccurate throws, dumb mistakes, and the ability to not be able to drive the ball down the field.

I will give him credit for the streak the Oakland Raiders ended the season with, but he has yet to prove why he was the No. 1 overall pick back in 2007.

Also, who will start at running back? At this point in time, Justin Fargas is a better running back than Darren McFadden, but Darren needs to be able to show the skills that he has possessed since his days as an Arkansas Razorback.

As for the defense, Oakland has talent at some spots.

On the line, Oakland has Derrick Burgess, a near 31 year old, eight year NFL veteran. He is the best member of the Raiders defensive line.

Terdell Sands is also a good player, but he's not going to intimidate any offensive lineman.

At linebacker, the Raiders have Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison. Kirk is a great linebacker, but Howard still has more in his arsenal that needs to be displayed.

Of course, Oakland has Nnamdi Asomugha in the secondary, but who else is there?

Michael Huff was benched last season in favor of Hiram Eugene, have you ever heard of him?

With that said, the Raiders have a few questions that need to be answered as far as their defense goes.

In my opinion, Oakland isn't a team that's going to scare anybody. Yes, they will undoubtedly improve next year, but not by too much.

I can see them winning anywhere from 6-to-8 games, but no more than that. They don't have enough stars on their team currently.

This team is built to win in a few years. A couple more draft picks will put the Raiders at an elite status, but for now, all they can do is just wait.

You tell me, Raiders fans. Is Oakland a contender or a pretender?

All opinions are expected, biased or not.