The NFL Draft is coming soon, and thanks to the raised salary cap and quite an active first week of free agency, the prediction of many teams' picks is a mystery. This first blog is on the Oakland Raiders, since (for now), they own the first pick of the draft.
Oakland - Oakland has a clear need for a quarterback. Their combination of QB's last year did a horrendous job, throwing for 2,850 yards, 7 TDs and 24 INTs, while being sacked 72 times. Some of this can be attributed to having a weak and porous front line, but it should moreso be the fault of immobile and indecisive quarterbacks. Aaron Brooks is past his prime (not that he ever had one), and Andrew Walter isn't exactly hall of fame-bound after this season.
With the defense holding its own and retaining its nucleus from last season, we can rule out a defensive first-round pick. With arguably two of the best WR's in the league in Jerry Porter and Randy Moss, a WR is out (sorry Calvin Johnson). Making a splash in free agency by picking up a couple of RB's and a FB, Oakland really has a need for a big, strong, smart QB.
Enter JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn. Russell has the edge over Quinn in size, arm strength, poise and career record one-on-one (1-0). This makes him my pick for the Oakland. While Quinn is a very athletic player, and sure top-10 pick, he breaks down in big games and cannot come through in the clutch. Throwing for 400 yards against a 3-8 team in college is much different than throwing for 400 yards against even the worst of NFL defenses. In my mind, Russell is the surer QB in this draft, and has the potential to be a huge impact on the Oakland offense. Having Moss and Porter to run deep and catch balls that Russell can throw 60+ yards is an incredible opportunity for Al Davis.
