Full 2008 NFL Mock Draft

1) MIA-*Jake Long (already been selected)
2) STL-*TRADE* with NO-G. Dorsey
3) ATL-M. Ryan
4) OAK-C. Long
5) KC-V. Gholston
6) NYJ-D. Mcfadden
7) NE-K. Rivers
8) BAL-B. Albert
9) CIN-D. Jackson
10) STL-D. Harvey
11) BUF-D. Rodgers Cromartie
12) DEN-R. Clady
13) CAR-C. Williams
14) CHI-R. Mendenhall
15) DET-J. Stewart
16) ARI-L. McKelvin
17) KC-J. Otah
18) HOU-K. Phillips
19) PHI-D. Thomas
20) TB-L. Sweed
21) WAS-J. Hardy
22) DAL-M. Jenkins
23) PIT-G. Cherilus
24) TEN-F. Davis
25) SEA-F. Jones
26) JAC-T. Laws
27) SD-S. Baker
28) DAL-M. Kelly
29) SF-Q. Groves
30) GB-A. Cason
31) NYG-T. Porter

Trading the pick would make sense...

With four draft picks and many needs, why dish out millions and millions to an unproven player again? We know Al Davis would find a way to make the room and get a deal done, but would he want to go through another big rookie contract like he did with Russell last year?
Highly Unlikely there would be another hold out like last year, but with all the cash Al has spent over the off-season and being in a situation where he doesn't have many draft picks, he may trade down. A guy like Darren McFadden falling into his laps with the fourth pick will be a tough decision. With Miami, St. Louis and Atlanta all shored up at running back, the odds are that McFadden will be there at #4. There are some rumors that Jerry Jones is very interested in him, and may even trade his smash mouth all pro running back in Marion Barber to sweeten a deal. Al and Jerry are close friends, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Al and Jerry help each other out on this one. Jerry gets his dream of McFadden playing for America's team and high powered offense, and Al gets to draft some more good talent. If a trade with Dallas were to go down, Raiders would receive the Boys' two first round picks and could get two first round talents at a lower price than taking someone at #4 and dishing out $20+ million guaranteed.

Al could draft a good Defensive Lineman like Phillip Merling with one of those picks, and take one of the best receivers in the draft with the other pick. Or he could be wise about it and add two good talents to both of the lines because the hope of Kwame Harris to be a more effective left tackle than Barry Sims sounds like the hope of oil barrels to go back to fifty dollars each...which means it pretty much won't happen. Granted Tom Cable has done a great job in his first year here with the silver & black, but Harris is a very poor pass blocker, and an above average run blocker. That doesn't go too well when you have $60+ million tied up into your young franchise quarterback. Especially since Harris is supposed to protect Russell's blindside. The zone blocking system that Cable runs could bring out the best in Harris. He has been in a few different schemes, so he really hasn't settled in yet. Given the fact that someone like Gallery could start somewhere on the Raiders line, there is some hope of Cable turning Harris into a starter. The front office may have given him a fat contract, but he Harris doesn't get paid unless he performs because of his back-loaded contract. So he's a wild card, and Al's plan for him to play left tackle may mean no good prospect from the draft will compete with him.

It all depends if Al takes McFadden, or to trade down/take the best Offensive/Defensive Lineman available. (I wouldn't rule out Jake Long, as he has visited with Al but he is more suited to play right tackle in the pros). Taking McFadden would add more firepower to Kiffin's offense, but again does he really need another running back?

Some would argue (myself included) that the idea of taking a running back with a committee of Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, and Dominic Rhodes would be unwise. McFadden has very good skills running the football, is an offensive play-maker and has run a 4.2 and 4.3 respectively. Which will get Al's mouth to water and get his ticker going. He did just re-sign Fargas, re-structered Rhodes who played well in his playing time, and has a wild card in Michael Bush (I would mention LaMont Jordan but with that ridiculous salary he won't be a Raider much longer). Al has a big decision to make...pay another fat contract like he's been doing, or get some more picks and have a variety of choices instead of just one on the first day and then just three after that (none in the second or third rounds). It may not be McFadden Al picks at #4 if he doesn't trade the pick, because if Glenn Dorsey fell to them that could be worth it. Dorsey makes an impact on a whole defense, and has showed great leadership (which is something the Raiders need on both sides of the ball) and toughness when playing through injury. Or Sedrick Ellis could be the pick. Kiffin's staff got a good look at him while coaching him up in the senior bowl, so I wouldn't rule him out. It seems that if Dorsey or Ellis were drafted by Al though, they would slide over one to play in the "4" technique since Tommy Kelly will be playing in the "3". That's another factor to think about for Al, along with Vernon Gholston, who will most likely be there at #4 too. Al has never traded down before, but he also has never spent this much money before,
He wants to win now, so that might mean taking a guy like McFadden would make sense. It would make more sense to trade down or to pick someone who could help in the trenches, but we'll never know what's going on behind Raiders closed doors except when the "undisclosed source" starts telling us what's going on (roll eyes). We'll just have to take a seat, and watch Al's plan for domination unravel over the course of the year(s).