Darrius Heyward-Bey Is Becoming the Oakland Raiders' No.1 Receiver

Darrius Heyward-Bey is the No. 1 receiver in Oakland. Yes, Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Let's be honest, there are many of us who were ready to give up on Heyward-Bey. There were many who were ready to call him an absolute bust. For those of us who supported him, we were prepared to be disappointed.

We saw his fellow 2009 first-round receivers outproduce him. We even saw his own teammates, who were drafted well after him, show more of an offensive impact.

In fact, I remember a Raider fan of this very site quote: "Louis Murphy and Jacoby Ford have surpassed DHB in both production and legend."

Really?

It is hard to believe that two young receivers who have yet to even have a 1,000-yard season all of a sudden establish a concrete legend. But I think that frustration was felt by everyone. Why?

Because in this day and age, no one is willing to give rookie players, regardless of position, the time to mature as an NFL player when they are getting paid millions of dollars.

Maybe now that the NFL has a rookie salary cap, that will change. But I doubt it.

Every expert had the Raiders taking Michael Crabtree with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. When the Raiders instead picked Heyward-Bey, all you heard was, "Who?"

I had been living in Maryland for a year, a state that has a huge college football fan base, and I had no idea who this guy was.

For the record, I wanted Eugene Monroe, the top-five talent at left tackle. Monroe eventually went to the Jacksonville Jaguars and he is not exactly a dominating force.

Fast forward to 2011 and now it seems like DHB is showing why Al Davis took the chance on him.

Heyward-Bey, over the last four games, is averaging five receptions and 101 reception yards per game. That's something no receiver on this roster has done, and something that Michael Crabtree has never done over that period of time.

That shows me consistent production. Even in a 28-0 loss with the a terrible starting quarterback in Kyle Boller and a rusty Carson Palmer, DHB managed five catches for 89 yards.

After the bye week, DHB—instead of relaxing—is working on his chemistry with Carson Palmer in order to hit the ground running against the Denver Broncos and beyond. 

You know what Crabtree did on his bye week? He got pulled over by the cops on the way to the airport. The cop was, of course, a Raiders fan. Raider Nation has got to love that right?

DHB is starting to remind me of one of Palmer's ex-teammates, Chad Ochocinco. No, not because they both wear 85 on their chests, but because there was a time when Ochocinco was considered to be the NFL's best route runner.

I am not ready to call DHB's route running the best in the game, but I think his route running is where he has progressed the most as an NFL receiver. His hands also have gotten better, but his precise routes are getting him so much separation from cornerbacks.

What did Al Davis see that no one else did? Did he really believe that he could teach an athlete with rare speed and raw skill the intricate responsibilities of being an NFL receiver? Or did DHB always have this in him and just let all the negative critics get in his head?

No one expected DHB to be a top-10 pick. Many believe that Heyward-Bey could've been drafted in the second round.

But keep in mind that some people had him going to the Baltimore Ravens in the first round when they picked somewhere in the 20s. So maybe Al Davis did not reach as far as people think.

All we know is that DHB is playing on a consistent level that we have not seen before and the sky is the limit.