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The Oakland Raiders tried to trade up for Colin Kaepernick, but were not successful. Instead, the Raiders made the most natural pick they could and selected Steve Wisniewski's nephew Stefen. Stefen will play center for the Raiders and become and instant fan favorite. His technique is sound and should be a starter for years. The Raiders traded their 2012 second round pick for the Patriots third, pick 94 and fourth, pick 125. The Raiders used their own third round pick to again draft the fastest player at the scouting combine in Demarcus Van Dyke. You might as well pencil in the fastest player at the combine every year. Al Davis loves his speed. Van Dyke seems like a reach, but he's got good physical tools and will be mentored by Rod Woodson. His teammate will be Stanford Routt, who was much like Van Dyke coming out of college. Van Dyke is long and lean and Hue Jackson said he felt very comfortable with the pick. With the pick acquired from the Patriots, the Raiders selected Jose...

The Raiders came into the day without a first-round draft pick and finished the day without acquiring one. Not much has changed. The Raiders still have needs and the same number of picks to work with. The only thing that happened today, 32 players were skimmed off the player pool. Colin Kaepernick is still available and so are Da'Quan Bowers and Stefen Wisniewski. Five of the top offensive tackles were taken in round one and the talent really thins out now. Raiders would be wise to look to the surplus of guards still available. Brandon Harris and Aaron Williams are two highly-rated cornerbacks that were not taken in the first round. It turns out a trade into the first round was not in the best interest of the Raiders. However, there are just a handful of top-tier players remaining that fit the Raiders most pressing needs. Don't rule out the Raiders jumping into the early second round.

Remember these are all just rumors... 1. Raiders are willing to move back into the first round for the right player. (Believed to be for Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick) 2. Al Davis doesn't think the Raiders have many needs. 3. Jimmy Smith  has been removed from the Raiders draft board (This is a purely smoke and totally incorrect, but heck I'm posting rumors here.) **Check back, more rumors are sure to fly as the day is just getting started**

The Raiders had a renaissance of sorts in 2010. A stellar draft class helped propel them to an 8-8 record and the first non-losing season since 2002. The draft is nearly a national holiday for NFL fans, but for the Raider Nation it has become the national day of prayer. Praying and hoping Al Davis doesn't do something completely crazy. Recent examples include drafting a quarterback with questionable work ethic and giving him $30 million guaranteed and drafting a raw and unproven receiver with questionable hands with the seventh overall selection. It is Al Davis who calls all the shots on draft picks and his recent track record in recent years suggested the man may have lost touch with the modern NFL. Then came 2010, with what appears to be a great haul of picks including Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston and Jacoby Ford. The Raiders also used picks to acquire Kamerion Wimbley and Jason Campbell. Coach Davis, as new head coach Hue Jackson calls him, has just one glaring team need and ...

Fast rising prospect Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick10) talks about his visit with the Raiders, his decision to stay home for the draft, the pistol offense and more. [powerpress] Thanks to Shawn Smith (@1stladyXAMSport) and Scott Smith (@XAMSports) for making the interview happen. Special thanks to Kyle Kaepernick (@DarthKaepernick) and Rick Kaepernick (@QBDAD10) for sharing some secrets about Colin's past.

ESPN Honolulu was kind enough to have me on Sports Animals. Here is the audio. [powerpress]

Who is Bob Wylie and is he qualified to turn around one of the most important positions on the roster? After examining Bob Wylie's resume, the man can clearly coach. He had previous stops in Tampa Bay, Chicago and Arizona and worked  under Sam Wyche, Dick Jauron and Dennis Green. Below is Bob Wylie's resume, complete with offensive line statistics for each year. 2010 Offensive Line Coach Denver Broncos 2009 Offensive Line Coach Saskatchewan Roughriders   2007 Offensive Line Coach Winnipeg Blue Bombers   2005-06 Offensive Line Coach Syracuse   2004 Offensive Line Coach Arizona Cardinals   1999-2003 Offensive Line Coach Chicago Bears   1997-98 Tight Ends Coach Cincinnati Bengals   1996 Offensive Line Coach University of Cincinnati   1992-95 Offensive Line Coach Tampa Bay Buccaneers   1990-91 Tight Ends Coach New York Jets   1988-89 Offensive Line Coach Colorado State   1985-87 Offensive Coordinator Ohio University   1983-84 Offen...

Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy was arrested in Florida and charged with drug possession without a prescription, disobeying a police officer and resisting arrest without violence. The drug Murphy allegedly was in possession of was Viagra. The bottle had no label and Murphy could not provide the prescription for it to the police. This marks the third arrest for the Raiders this offseason, following the DUI arrest of Michael Bush and Mario Henderson's arrest for carrying a concealed firearm. All the charges against Murphy are misdemeanors and likely carry nothing more than a hefty fine. Viagra seems like an odd thing for the 23-year-old Murphy to use. Why he would resist arrest for a simple traffic citation?