April 26th, 2007 05:24pm
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What’s the best – or worst – the Raiders can hope for this weekend? We can gain clues from looking at the team’s drafts since it returned from Los Angeles in 1995. The reborn Oakland Raiders have made exactly 90 draft choices in that span, beginning with Napoleon Kaufman (first round, 1995) and ending with Kevin McMahan (seventh round, 2006).
Here are the best and the worst of them, by round.
FIRST …
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April 25th, 2007 11:12am
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Enough with the mock drafts. At this point they are saturated, repetitive – and ultimately maddening. One surprise pick (the Browns took whom?!) can set off a chain reaction that explodes your whole slate.
Instead, let’s chart the Raiders’ perfect draft. In this parallel reality, the overrated prospects get snapped up early, the sleepers keep sleeping until it’s Oakland’s turn to pick, and the Raiders are able to fill all their …
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April 23rd, 2007 03:10pm
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I haven’t heard it from anyone who would be directly involved in the decision-making process, so I can’t report it as fact. But there are whispers, both inside and outside the organization, that the Raiders’ draft opinions have fissured into three pieces. Word is that the scouting department likes Calvin Johnson, coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp prefer Brady Quinn, and owner Al Davis wants JaMarcus Russell.
None of …
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April 17th, 2007 03:42pm
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Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn threw his hat into the ring today. I’m not sure how accurate he was with the throw, or how far the hat traveled, or whether he demonstrated good footwork in throwing it. But he visited Al Davis in Raiderland on Tuesday, as LSU’s JaMarcus Russell did before him.
NFL teams entertain all sorts of players in the weeks leading up to the draft – including guys …
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April 13th, 2007 05:50pm
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Gradually, the Raiders are starting to pay some attention to their most glaring need: the offensive line.
The team signed Jeremy Newberry soon after the free-agency signing period started, and he is a two-time Pro Bowl choice. He’s also a giant question mark, thanks to his nearly cartilage-free knees. Bringing in Newberry for a look wasn’t a bad idea, but it didn’t change the landscape for a line that allowed a …
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April 11th, 2007 01:09pm
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The three-day mini-camp currently in swing at Raiders headquarters in Alameda is Lane Kiffin’s best chance to evaluate his current batch of talent before investing in 2007 draft choices. Outside of the camps, players drill only in position groups, making it hard for a coach to get a sense of their game skills.
“It’s here before the draft for a reason,” Kiffin acknowledged Tuesday, “because like I said, the evaluation process …
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Phil Barber covers the Raiders for The Press Democrat, uncovering news and features despite the team’s best efforts to keep everything a secret. He’ll keep our online audience up-to-date and informed with his blog “Instant Raiders.”
