Raiders Draft Scenarios/1st Raiders Mock Draft

The Raiders are not on the clock like they were last year at this time, but they need to have a good draft to get all of their needs. They will look to find a starting LT, add depth/a starter at DT, and get some wide receivers.

Raiders interviewed two prospects at the combine that I know of: Darren McFadden and Dexter Jackson. Does it mean anything? Well they both had good 40 times, so you have to factor that in given Al Davis's heart on for fast athletes.

So who do the Raiders pick at #4? Do they trade the pick? Who would be worth the #4 selection? Well, there are a few scenarios:

They could pick Sedrick Ellis. A guy with a strong motor, would help the weak defensive line, and can help the defense with the run and get pressure. Is he worth the #4 pick? That can be argued because he wasn't even in the top 10 before his impressive senior bowl play. What about Glenn Dorsey? Well, his injuries speak for itself. Is he better than Ellis? When healthy, yes. Dorsey is the best defensive player in this draft. The Raiders will definately get some looks at him and would be wise to look into his injuries and get some opinions from some doctors.

However, the Raiders need a starting left tackle with Barry Sims being released. Yeah, they could wait til the second round and hope USC's Sam Baker falls, but is that a likely thing with teams needing the best OL available? No. What about Jake Long and Ryan Clady? Would they be worth the #4 pick? Long no, Clady yes.

Clady would be the best pick for the Raiders, because of his experience in the ZBS. A lot of scouts say Jake Long will not fare too well at left tackle, more of a right tackle. So, Clady would fit right in with the Raiders offensive scheme. Long could be another Robert Gallery if a team places him at left tackle. He can't move as well as Clady can, and he hasn't been in the ZBS before.

But the whole thing about taking a tackle in the top 5 may cause Al Davis to panic, because we all know what happened with Robert Gallery who was supposed to be the cornerstone left tackle...we all know how that panned out. Would the Raiders be making a mistake by taking their LT again by selecting Long or Clady? Long yes, and Clady no.

Then there is the scenario that has been brought up numerous amounts of times because Jerry Jones is supposedly looking for a trading partner to land Darren McFadden. Well, with ATL signing Turner, and the Dolphins and Rams set at runningback, it only makes sense that McFadden will fall to the Raiders at #4. Will the Raiders take him? No. With Lane Kifin's offense and Tom Cable's ZBS there is no need to go and spend more money on a runningback when they just re-signed Justin Fargas. Al Davis is close friends with Jerry Jones, and a trade is highly possible. Jones would have to give up both his 1st rounders, and then some. That would help the Raiders, who currently only have 5 picks in the draft, and no 3rd round pick. They will look to get in a trade on draft day most likely to get back into the 3rd. Don't be surprised if Derrick Burgess is traded for a first day pick either.

If Jones does make a deal with Al, then the Raiders can get all three of their biggest needs in the 1st and second round, which is great. Limas Sweed or Desean Jackson would make the Raiders passing game great again. Both are deep threat wide outs, Jackson just has a little more value because of his punt returning skills. On his first punt return attempt in college, he took it to the house. He was the Nation's #1 player coming out of high school. He may be small, but the kid is well polished, has great work ethic, and can burn corner's with his long speed and open field abilites.
Limas Sweed would be ideal too, if the Raiders want that deep threat that they thought they had with Moss. Sweed has great size, good speed, and can make those big catches downfield. Who would be the best bet out of the two? It all depends on who the Raiders staff thinks would do well in their offense (Al Davis may just call them both over to Oakland for a race to make a decision).

So, here is my Raiders first Mock Draft, assuming the Raiders DON'T trade their pick:

#4 Ryan Clady-Will step in and start from day 1 at left tackle, and flourish well and continue to get better under Tom Cable.
#36 James Hardy-Both Limas Sweed and Desean Jackson will be gone by this pick. If the Raiders want either one, they will have to trade into the 1st round. Either way, they can't pass up on Hardy here. His size and red zone abilities make him worth it.
Round 3 Frank Okam-The Raiders will make a trade to get them back into the 3rd, so they can get Frank Okam to help their run defense. Can you really depend on Sands and Warren to get the job done? They were apart of a horrible run defense.
Round 4 Dexter Jackson-Because he had a great 40 time, and showed some good deep threat abilities at Appalachian State with 8 touchdowns, it's almost in the bag that Al will get Jackson here. Might be a stretch because he could possibnly be had in round 5.

My next blog will be my Raiders 2nd Mock Draft with all picks, and discuss what players the Raiders may go after with the extra ones they get if they trade their 1st round pick.