Why Do Oakland Raiders Continue to Sacrifice the Future?

The Oakland Raiders are now the proud owners of yet another first-round draft pick that pooped out on the team that drafted him.

Aaron Curry is headed for Oakland and that comes as no surprise.

Over the years, Al Davis simply loved reclamation projects. It was all about Raider Rehab. These Raiders have done this 12 times, picking up guys who were first-round picks. They now have those 12 on their 53 man roster and seven are on the defensive side of the ball.

The Raiders even gave up their own 2011 first-round pick to get Richard Seymour, who has had a nice year but the guy's 32 years old and that certainly wasn't something they did with an eye on the future.

If the late George Allen were still around, he'd be the perfect new GM for the Raiders. Back in the late 70s, Allen was basically allergic to draft picks. There's nothing like a good old veteran player, Allen believed, because his credo was "The Future Is Now."

The Raiders gave up a seventh pick in next year's draft and perhaps a fifth in 2013, one of those cutesy "conditional" picks that are basically conditional on Curry performing or flopping again.

The third pick in 2012 is already gone but at least that one was spent on a young guy, Terrelle Pryor, whom the Raiders are hoping will turn into a clone of Cam Newton. He has the same size and speed and a pretty strong arm.

At first glance, it would appear the Raiders do have a propensity to sacrifice a bit with draft picks. Two schools of thought: draft vs. free agency. When you don't draft well or simply don't have enough picks, well, it's free agency and the reclamation pile.

So the Raiders pulled out Al Davis' American Pickers hat and looked at the guy whom Seattle began to regard as an eyesore, a piece of junk, so to speak, relegated to the bench.

Oakland is Curry's best shot with the current linebacker situation. Curry flunked his strong side linebacker exams in Seattle, which implies he may be more suitable over on the weak side.

What Curry may really become is one of those hybrid guys. He might find some new meaning in his football life with his hand on the ground as a defensive end.

Now what the Raiders have to decide is their future course. Will they continue to give up draft picks and roll the dice on underachieving former high draft picks or will they strengthen the front office scouting system and simply make better choices from the college ranks?

The good news for the Silver and Black is that Hue Jackson has settled in nicely as the head coach after the Tom Cable disaster. Jackson knows his offense and now it's a matter of getting things solidified on the defensive side of the football.

If Curry can find a new identity in Oakland, then he could help that situation.

As for the future in Oakland, somewhere George Allen is smiling because apparently the Future is Now.