Oakland Raiders: NFL Offseason Report Card

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Oakland Raiders
2009 Draft Grade: D-

Free Agent/Non Draft: C-

Total Grade: D

Overall Needs:
•Wide Receiver
•Offensive Tackle
•Defensive End
•Outside Linebacker
•Free Safety
•Defensive Tackle
•Cornerback

Draft Picks:
Rd / Sel# / Name / Pos. / School
1) 7 Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland
2) 47 Michael Mitchell S Ohio
3) 71 Matt Shaughnessy DE Wisconsin
4) 124 Louis Murphy WR Florida
4) 126 Slade Norris DE-LB Oregon State
6) 199 Stryker Sulak DE Missouri
6) 202 Brandon Myers TE Iowa

Arrivals: Old Team
OT Khalif Barnes (FA) Jacksonville
QB Jeff Garcia (FA) Tampa Bay
OT Marcus Johnson (FA) Minnesota
FB Lorenzo Neal (FA) Baltimore
RB Gary Russell (FA) Pittsburgh
C Samson Satele (trade) Miami

Departures: New Team
S Rashad Baker (FA) Philadelphia
WR Ronald Curry (FA) Detroit
RB Justin Griffith (FA) Seattle
C Jake Grove (FA) Miami
OT Kwame Harris (FA)
LB Robert Thomas (FA) Washington
S Gibril Wilson (FA) Miami

Offseason Analysis:

It’s predictable to see the Raiders draft like this. Al Davis looks at a stopwatch and selects the ones who runs the fastest. Darrius Heyward-Bey was a first-round selection, but Oakland could have traded down to the middle rounds to get him.

Instead of drafting the best receiver (Michael Crabtree), they drafted the fastest. Heyward-Bey has suspect hands and doesn’t run the greatest of routes. But he doesn’t have character issues and will work hard to get better. In the second round, they chose Mike Mitchell, a very fast, hard-hitting safety from Ohio U. He could start and provide an in-the-box presence to upgrade the NFL’s 31st-ranked rushing defense. That being said, he could have been drafted a round or two later.

In the third, they grabbed Matt Shaughnessy from Wisconsin and he’ll also help against the run. In the fourth round, they took Louis Murphy, another big receiver who has typical Raider track speed. He was overshadowed at Florida by Percy Harvin.

In their other fourth round pick, they took Slade Norris from Oregon State, an outside linebacker who will start out as a special teams player. In the sixth round, they took Stryker Sulak from Missouri, a situational pass rusher. In their last pick, the took Brandon Myers, a blocking tight end from Iowa.

In free agency, the Raiders tried to patch up some holes. They brought in aging qb Jeff Garcia, to mentor JaMarcus Russell. Garcia doesn’t really fit their vertical passing offense. They brought in Khalif Barnes from Jacksonville to start at left tackle. He has the ability but has never put it all together. At least he’s an upgrade at a spot that desperately needed it.

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