2011 NFL Draft Needs: Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders took a major step in the right direction in 2010 and established some impressive feats in the process. The Raiders went 6-0 in the AFC West, beat the San Diego Chargers for the first time in 14 tries, and finished with less than 11 losses for the first time since 2002, which coincidentally marked their last trip to the Super Bowl. An undefeated record in the division normally coincides with a trip to playoffs. In fact, no team has gone undefeated in their division and not made the playoffs since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. No team until the 2010 Raiders that is. Outside of the division, Oakland went 2-8, missed out on the postseason festivities, and will enter the 2011 season with a new coach for the sixth time in nine seasons.

Oakland’s transformation from relative obscurity to playoff contender can be attributed to a stellar 2010 draft class and recent trade acquisitions that actually panned out for Al Davis’s crew. The Raiders hit home runs with Lamarr Houston (2nd round), Jared Veldheer (3rd), Jacoby Ford (4th) and Stevie Brown (7th) in the 2010 draft. Kamerion Wimbley and Richard Seymour were integral parts of a defense that finished second in the league against the pass and tied for second in quarterback sacks. Wimbley led the charge with nine sacks, while Seymour had 5.5 and earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl. However, the acquisition of Seymour did cost the Raiders a first round pick in the 2011 draft and their first selection this year won’t be until number 16 in the second round and 48th overall.

Their 2010 successes and progression aside, the Raiders have some big holes to fill on both sides of the ball if they expect to be true contenders in the AFC West going forward. Once free agency begins, perennial All-Pro corner Nnamdi Asomugha will likely become the most sought after player in the market which will leave an enormous void in Oakland’s secondary. The team also finished 29th overall against the run and even though their defensive line is solid rushing the passer, they need to add some bulk to plug up the middle of their interior. On offense, Ford showed that he is capable of being a showstopper at receiver but Louis Murphy and former first-rounder Darrius Heyward-Bay are marginal at best and the team needs to find a consistent number one receiver. Although their run game is second to none in the league, the Raiders’ offensive line is a mess. The only sure things for the o-line in 2011 is that Veldheer and 2010 fourth round pick Bruce Campbell will be starters at left tackle and right guard respectively. Jason Campbell started off dreadfully slow but he progressed nicely as the season went along. He only has one year left on his contract, however, and it’s extremely unlikely that he is the team’s quarterback of the future. With that being said here are the Raiders’ biggest team needs going into next week’s NFL Draft:

Offensive Line: Instead of having needs one through three being left guard, center and right tackle, I figured I would bunch the three into one category. It’s scary to think how good the Raiders rushing game could be with a solid offensive line in front of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. The Raiders finished second in the league in rushing offense last season and feature a two-headed rushing attack that is the envy of the entire league. McFadden and Bush are both premier backs and run behind an offensive line that has more holes than Bushwood Country Club in "Caddyshack". Besides Veldheer, the Raiders o-line is riddled with question marks. Al Davis’s infatuation with 2010 fourth round pick Bruce Campbell will earn him a starting position either at right guard or tackle but Oakland will likely have three new starters alongside him and Veldheer. Langston Walker is in the twilight of his career and his consistent issues with maintaining a respectable playing weight have deterred a once promising career. His consistent injuries and inconsistent play will likely earn him a one-way ticket out of Oakland and probably out of the league in 2011. Robert Gallery, who has been a monumental bust since being selected second overall in the 2004 draft, will be a free agent this year and at an $8 million asking price it’s incomprehensible to picture him returning to Oakland for an eighth season. Gallery, who was once pegged as the best offensive lineman to come out of college in years, has showed improvement over the last few seasons but has been far from the franchise left tackle that he was expected to be. Campbell will take over for Cooper Carlisle at right guard, who will be 34 this summer and is not expected to return. Samson Satele received a restricted free-agent tender this offseason and is currently the favorite to start at center but don’t be surprised if Hue Jackson looks for a bigger center to anchor his power rushing attack. With the 48^th overall pick, the Raiders would be hard-pressed not to cash in on the value at the guard and tackle positions available in this draft. With Baylor’s Danny Watkins now being projected as a late first to early second round prospect, he likely won’t be around when the Raiders pick. TCU’s Marcus Cannon and Florida State’s Rodney Hudson should both be available and either would be worth an early second round pick. If you’ve read my previous articles, it’s not difficult to decipher that I’m a big proponent of Villanova’s Ben Ijalana. If he’s available he would be a great fit for Oakland because he has the capability of playing either guard or tackle. Alabama’s James Carpenter would also be a good fit in the second or third.

Cornerback: Asomugha will likely command a salary close to that of Darrelle Revis and it’s highly unlikely the Raiders will match an offer that will jeopardize their ability to sign Wimbley and some other key contributors on defense. Asomugha’s starting counterpart Stanford Routt had a solid season and could step into the number one corner role if/when Asomugha departs. Chris Johnson, the team’s nickel corner, will be 32 when the season starts and is not the answer at the other starting corner position. With their plethora of holes on the offensive line, it’s unlikely the Raiders will address corner in the second but could find some value in the third and fourth. Utah’s Brandon Burton, Ohio State’s Chimdi Chekwa and USC’s Shareece Wright would all be great value picks if they were available in the fourth and Burton would be worth selecting in the third.

Quarterback: After a slow start, Campbell proved to be pretty solid down the stretch but is not the long term answer. He is turning 30 on the last day of 2011, entering the last year of his contract, and therefore should be considered more of a stopgap player rather than the future face of the franchise. Jackson has stated how much he likes Campbell, and the organization reinforced that feeling by neglecting to tender its backup Bruce Gradkowski, but the team needs to at least start developing a quarterback behind Campbell. The team has expressed interest in Colin Kaepernick but it’s highly unlikely they will use their first pick to invest in a quarterback. Alabama’s Greg McElroy is a sleeper in the later rounds but someone to keep an eye on is Ryan Mallett. Mallett has the talent to be a top five pick but questions surrounding his intelligence, arrogant-demeanor, and alleged drug-use have reportedly completely dropped him off of several teams’ draft boards.  Mallett is the highly-talented, but extremely risky prospect that Davis usually covets and if he somehow falls out of the first two rounds, don’t be surprised if the Raiders snatch him with their third or fourth round pick.