Starting Positions On the Oakland Raiders: Who Wants Them?

So far this offseason the Oakland Raiders have added a lot of players through the draft, trades, and free agency.  This leads to a great thing.  Competition.  There are a few positions on the roster that are up for grabs.  No matter how good you are there is always room for improvement so you always have to bring your A-game.  Lets take a look at some of the starting positions that are still there for the taking.

WR, Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy, and Darius Heyward-Bey

All three of our young WRs have the ability to be the No. 1 guy.  They all are big, fast WRs.  DHB is the most physically gifted of the three with his blazing speed and leaping ability.  If he can develop his hands, he can be dangerous. 

Chaz Schilens is the biggest and most polished of the three.  At 6'4", 225 lbs. with sub 4.4 speed, he is a very tough matchup for most CBs in the league.  If he can stay healthy, he can be a dominant WR. 

Louis Murphy is one of those "it" players.  He has that "it" factor to go with his good size— 6'3", 205 lbs.  He had a stretch there when he was dropping a lot of passes but he stepped up big time when the game was on the line. 

FB, Marcel Reese, Manase Tonga (R), Chane Moline (R)

I like both of the rookies' chances of landing the starting FB role over Marcel Reese.  Moline is the more polished blocker and Tonga has more ability as a playmaker but can still by a efficient blocker.  Reese will likely make the team again but he is more of an H-Back than a fullback.

RG, Cooper Carlisle, Bruce Campbell (R)

Again, I like the rookie's chance at landing the starting role.  Cooper Carlisle isn't going to get any better and is an average lineman right now.  Bruce Campbell, however, has the potential to be a great lineman.  He has all the physical ability it takes.  He just needs to get coached up and brought up to NFL speed.  If he can develop his game from now until the opener, he just might be our starting RG.

Weakside LB, Thomas Howard, Trevor Scott

This one is a toss up.  Thomas Howard is faster and better in coverage.  He has more experience at the position and has a 6 INT season under his belt.  That was a few seasons back and Howard was benched in favor of Trevor Scott this past season. 

Trevor Scott is bigger, and more physical than Howard.  However, being the WILL LB, you have to be able to cover.  He looked kind of lost when in coverage last season.  He is better than Howard at getting after the passer.  He led all rookies in sacks his first season and led the Raiders in sacks last season with seven.

Either way, I think both will see the field depending on what we are doing on defense.

Kick/Punt Return, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jacoby Ford, Rock Cartwright

The return game last season left a lot to be desired, that's for sure.  It was pretty much non-existent last season.  Our struggling offense didn't get any help from the return game last season.

Jacoby Ford looks to be the favorite going in to land both KR and PR.  He is the most explosive of the bunch.  He is a threat to score whenever he has the ball in his hands.  The Raiders used a fourth round pick on him so they will want to get him on the field.

Higgins has a good chance if he can recover from that huge hit he took in the opener that seemed to bother him all year.  He needs to return to the form he had in 2008 when he returned three punts for touchdowns.

Rock Cartwright has the most experience returning kickoffs.  He has returns of 80, 87, and 100 yards under his belt.  Yamon Figurs will also get a chance to show what he can do.

Well that's it for now Raider Nation.  Who do you think will land these five starting positions that are up for grabs?