Skip to main content

Bold Draft or Bad Draft?

So far both the Raiders picks could be considered a reach. While I support the Heyward-Bey selection, I wish we could have traded down to get him and got more picks.

While there is debate about Heyward-Bey, you could argue that he was a sleeper because his college QBs were so poor.

Then there is the curious case of the second round selection. Trading down and getting extra picks was a good move, but drafting Michael Mitchell with the 47th overall selection is a major question mark.

Mitchell is a 6'1" 220 pound safety who idols Jack Tatum. His highlight real is impressive:



Sonny Jacobs had an article about Mr. Mitchell in yesterday's bleacher report.

While I can't judge a pick before he has a chance and I'd like to give Mitchell that chance, I wonder why the Raiders didn't wait to pick him until their next selection in the 4th round, at least.

It is a bold draft by a bold Al Davis. I said before our scouting department needed to have a great draft, from the outside perspective they are reaching, but there is no doubt they are being bold. Let us hope they are correct. Tom Cable must have some level of say in the picks and you would wonder why he would go along with reaching so much for Mitchell. My only conclusion is that Tom Cable really is the bold coach and playcaller we saw last season.

I'll give each guy a chance to perform, but I just don't understand a reach for a guy that you can get in a later round. Maybe the Raiders had knowledge someone else was going to reach, but you haven't heard much about the guy so you wonder if he was on anyone radar above the 4th round.

If Mitchell is consistently as good as his highlight reel, it is tough to dislike him, even if the Raiders made the mistake of drafting the guy too early. Maybe his love of Jack Tatum and 4.4-4.5 speed and hard hitting ability blinded Davis.

Or lets hope Davis really found a diamond in the rough and that he had direct knowledge that someone was going to draft him before our next pick.

I don't know what to think about our draft. From the outside it is terrible, the open mind might say Davis has returned to his bold drafting strategies of the past.

Give the Raiders a draft grade in the pol to the right. We all know how valid these polls are, but they are fun anyway.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea...

The Raiders aren't who we thought they were....they're better

The Oakland Raiders are tired of being the team that will be good in a year or two. The team expects to win now and it is winning now. We thought the Raiders needed more talent. We thought that being in the playoff hunt was a year away for this team, but we were wrong. This isn't the team we thought they were, they're better. On Sunday, they moved to 3-3 on Sunday with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers that wasn't close until the final minute. It was also the Raiders second road win of the season. The last time the Raiders had two road wins by their sixth game was 2011. Before that, a five-year streak from 1998-2002. The Raiders went 8-8 in 1998, 1999 and 2011 and narrowly missed the playoffs each year.  They made the playoffs in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They didn't have a losing record in any of those seasons because teams that can win on the road are usually pretty good. As the season matures, there is more and more evidence that some of the "best-case scenario...

Oakland Raiders' Studs and Duds From Preseason Week 1

[embed]http://gty.im/484069738[/embed] The Oakland Raiders finally look like a competitive football team again. That should be the biggest takeaway from their preseason rout of the St. Louis Rams. Quarterback Derek Carr and the offense looked significantly improved from a year ago, thanks in large part to some of the studs listed below. The starting defense was still a little shaky, but there were still a few bright spots. Overall, the Raiders can feel good about their first live action of the year, especially since there appeared to be no significant injuries to come out of it. Studs Rodney Hudson Of all general manager Reggie McKenzie's offseason acquisitions, he committed the most money to center Rodney Hudson. Offensive linemen rarely get the praise they deserve, but a great offensive line as anchored in the middle can be huge for an offense. Hudson was very solid in his debut against a very good defensive front. If Hudson and the offensive line can consistently protect Carr an...