By Brian Vornberg

The draft didn’t go to swimmingly for the Raiders last year, despite having 11 picks overall. It was spotty, at best, and worst of all, #1 pick JaMarcus Russell never really got a chance to validate himself as the best player in the draft.

The Raiders need to make the most of their picks in this year’s draft in order to improve in all areas of the game. They did make some stellar moves in the off-season, which should help get things started in the right direction.

Tight end Zach Miller out of Arizona State and fullback Oren O’Neal out of Arkansas State were easily to two best prospects to come out of last year’s draft for the team, so far. O’Neal did exactly what a fullback should by blocking well and playing a key role on special teams. Miller, on the other hand, set a franchise record for receptions by a rookie. Offensive tackle Mario Henderson only saw action in one game, wide receiver Johnathan Holland spent the entire season rehabilitating an injury, Johnnie Lee Higgins (out of UTEP) made almost nowhere near the impact the team was anticipating, and worst of all, running back Michael Bush out of Louisville didn’t even have the chance to prove anything because he too was recovering from injury all season long. “Mr. #1 Pick” himself, JaMarcus Russell started just one game and didn’t show enough progress for the team to continue with that trend. They are looking for him to improve by leaps and bounds this year to validate his selection as the #1 pick. If he doesn’t, Raider Nation will be calling for Al Davis’ head.

On the defensive side of the ball it gets even worse, although this isn’t to say that there won’t be improvement from the guys that are still on the team. Defensive end Jay Richardson was the lone bright spot for Raider defensive rookies last season as he developed into a starter and showed a lot of promise. John Bowie, a cornerback out of Cincinnati saw action in just two games and looks to step his game up this year. Another D-end, Quentin Moses out of Georgia didn’t make it out of Raiders training camp, but did see action in seven games after being signed by the Dolphins. Safety Eric Frampton did show a lot of promise and played in numerous games, however, these games were with the Lions or the Vikings, not the Raiders.

2008 needs:
At this point, the Raiders have virtually no elite players on their squad so getting a safe bet pick in the first round is a must. I think the smartest thing that the Raiders could do is go with a good offensive tackle with their first pick such as Ryan Clady out of Boise State or Branden Albert out of Virginia. Although, if Chris Long is still left at this point, it would be absolutely ridiculous not to go with him. The team somewhat took care of concerns at wide receiver by signing Javon Walker in the off-season, however, it wouldn’t hurt to get another one in the middle rounds of the draft considering they let Jerry Porter go. Another key position of need is the interior of the defensive line. It’s possible to find a guy who could fill in that spot in the middle rounds this year, as well. Maybe a guy like Trevor Laws out of Notre Dame or Red Bryant out of Texas A&M, perhaps. Other areas of need will be safety and outside linebacker, which the Raiders will look to fill in the later rounds of this year’s draft.