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| Pictured: Khalil Mack, 5th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft |
The Oakland Raiders have not had an appearance in the playoffs for over a decade now. Their last appearance was in 2002, back when they still had the Rich Gannon and Jerry Rice quarterback-wide receiver tandem. That was also the year that they lost in the Super Bowl to the Buccaneers (final score 48-21). For such a storied franchise that has won 3 Super Bowl titles, they have been struggling to get back into a competitive state. There are many things that we can look at. But there is arguably nothing more indicative of their fortune, or rather their misfortune, than the drafts. The whole idea of the NFL Draft is to give opportunities to the teams with the worst records in the league first dibs on the top young talent. However, the Raiders have again and again misused their pick. Whether it's reaching in the draft just to obtain pure speed, (Fabian Washington, Michael Huff, Darrius Heyward-Bey, DJ Hayden, Darren McFadden etc.) falling for the hype and going quarterback first, (JaMarcus "Jabba the Hut" Russell) or taking the risk and picking someone with significant off-field issues, (Rolando McClain and Darren McFadden) the Raiders have done a miserable job in trying to get back into relevance through the draft.
Raiders appeared to have a different mindset coming into this draft. They appeared to draft the best available talent, because let's face it, the Raiders need significant improvement in every position. Raider fans should be delighted with how the draft turned out. As it stands, obtaining Khalil Mack with the 5th overall pick seems to be one of the best values early on in the draft. I'm sure everyone can agree that they are delighted that the Jaguars turned to Bortles with their 3rd overall. I have made it no secret that I loved Mack before the draft, and I would honestly have not been surprised at all if the Texans had passed up on Clowney to pick the sure-fire Mack as the 1st overall pick. Mack fits seamlessly into the Raiders 3-4 system as a traditional run-stopping and pass-rushing outside linebacker, who will undoubtedly produce a fair share of defensive highlights. On top of that, they also obtained a good potential signal-caller in Derek Carr. Being mentored by Schaub will also definitely help his development as he transitions into the big leagues. It is easy to forget that Schaub led the league among all quarterbacks in 2009 in terms of passing yards (4,770) after he ended up on the wrong side of the history books by throwing 'pick-sixes' in 4 consecutive games just last year. The Raiders also added some much new support to their offensive and defensive lines through their 3rd (Gabe Jackson) and their 4th (Justin Ellis) picks. Some things never change, as the Raiders ended up selecting the high-upside defensive back Keith McGill in the 4th round, who has his own fair share of off-field baggage.
However, along with a respectable draft, they have also made some significant strides in terms of off-season acquisitions (Carlos Rogers, LaMarr Woodley, Antonio Smith, Justin Tuck, and Matt Schaub). For once, we are seeing that the Raiders are spending their valuable cap space on proven veterans. Of course, it is reasonable to assume that these players already have reached the twilight of their career, and we can no longer expect any of them to perform at their Pro-Bowl caliber former selves, but at least this is a step in the right direction. The Raiders have been starved and deprived of leaders that can give the team's younger players a sense of direction. Even last year, we saw a noticeable impact of the leadership qualities that Charles Woodson brought to the defense. It should be interesting to see what happens after 5 more come in for the 2014 NFL season.
Although it is too early to say that the Raiders can be instantly propelled by the moves into the playoffs, I would not be surprised if they greatly improved on their 4-12 season 2013 season. I like what the upper management has done this year. Let's just see if this can translate into success on the field.
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| Pictured: Antonio Smith, a free agent acquisition, and the self-proclaimed "Ninja Assassin" |
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