Oakland Raiders 2013 NFL Draft

The Reggie McKenzie era is really just starting to get under way.

Last year was technically the beginning of the McKenzie chapter but the trainwreck he inherited is still as undentable this season as it was last season when there were only a handful of picks to play with come draft time. This time around, Reggie Mack replenished our pick bag with solid trades that didn't give up too much and that not only increased the total number of picks but also allowed us to still get the talent we coveted in positions we needed it in.

I may be a homer in doing so but I do give this draft weekend a B+ grade. I'm not a fan of "grading" drafts because we don't really know how any of these prospects will turn out really but it is safe to say that they are all very strong decisions given both talent level and character. I am grading the decision making by the Raider war room and grading their intents. I cannot grade the talent. At least not yet...

I've done a bit of research and watched lots of "tape" on these guys and these are select videos I felt could give others an idea of the guys the Raiders just drafted. They are in draft order starting with the First Round pick, DJ Hayden. Let's get to it.

DJ Hayden, CB: 

I didn't like the idea of the pick at first only because, like so many other Raider fans, felt we really needed a defensive lineman. But more on that later. As for Hayden, I've grown to really like this pick. We traded down from the 3 spot, gained a 2nd round pick and still got the best corner on the board. I like Hayden more than Milliner. He has superior speed and covers tighter to the receiver. This is a guy who won't need much safety help up top reducing mismatches and blown coverages in the secondary. Health issues with the freak accident back in November are a non-factor as every NFL Team's doctors cleared him to play for them. Still, go read up on that and how amazing this kid and his story really is. As for the football stuff, having a shutdown corner does not make you a Super Bowl contender but it allows you to do many, many other things with your defensive personnel. This pick is a win. 

Menelik Watson, OL: 

Remember what I'm about to tell you right now: the Raiders are going to have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL for the next half a decade at least. Watson is a curious pick to most who feel that drafting a guy who came from England to play basketball and has only played football for a couple of years is crazy talk. That's understandable. But look at this kid. He's a MONSTER. He's got Michael Oher written all over him. Sometimes offensive line isn't about the football (which can be taught); it's about all the things this kid already has. He has all the physical tools, lots of smarts (you should listen to him speak, he's a great kid) and as a soccer player, a basketball player and a boxer, brings a level of athleticism that is beyond just being big, strong and fast. Watch the video. He became a starter and an excellent one in no time at one of the top programs when it comes to offensive line, Florida State. Also, Raiders OL coach Tony Sparano is one of the elite lines coaches in the NFL even if he couldn't hack it as a head coach; you better bet Watson will learn the position at an elite level. Along with Veldheer and Wiz, this line is shaping up to be a strength of the team moving forward. Very exciting.

Sio Moore, LB: 

Boy, I love this pick. This dude comes out of nowhere and is already talking smack about all the other linebackers in his draft class saying he's easily the best one. That's big talk but watch his video; he really is pretty good. Coming from UConn (underrated program as far as defensive players go but that's another story) he doesn't get much love but he was an absolute beast at the Senior bowl and was easily the most exciting player on the field, flying all over the place, exploding through the offensive line to find the QB and to chase guys in the backfield. As he puts it, he plays with "juice" and after having rostered lameduck linebackers like McClain and Curry, we've got a guy with energy who will likely come in and challenge for an outside position alongside Roach and Burnett. I love football players who play with a chip on their shoulder. This is more of what the Raiders need, not prima donnas expecting star status and treatment. 

Tyler Wilson, QB: 

Understandably, most Raider fans were confused by drafting a QB after we just acquired Matt Flynn and while we're still rostering Terrelle Pryor. But this move makes all the sense in the world. For one, let's just be honest: we got a guy here who would have been 1st or 2nd round easily a year ago when many expected him to declare eligibility much like Matt Barkley. Sticking around an extra year and enduring the Petrino circus killed the Arkansas program as a whole and likewise his stock. This is a cheap fourth round pick for what is essentially first round talent. Secondly, Wilson is a tough motha (excuse la francais). He gets knocked around, bounces up and throws missiles. He has mechanics issues with his footwork and loses some oomph on the deep ball and while he is considered to be NFL ready, he isn't brought in to start right away (Flynn is far more NFL ready). Let him learn, those things are fixable while what he already has isn't. This is a win. And as far as having Flynn and Pryor around already? Let them all compete. Competition brings out the best in everyone. I have no doubt the best player at every position will emerge and earn the job.

Nick Kasa, TE: 

We grabbed two tight ends in this draft and within a short while of each other. I was monitoring the twitter feeds and facebook and I caught a lot of Raider fans (and haters) questioning this. Let me set you all at ease: Kasa is one of the best blocking TE's in the draft class and is absolutely critical if we are to have a strong running attack this season with the return to the power running scheme. He can catch too but he is primarily a block specialist and is a big, athletic body. The Raiders parted with Myers at the end of last season and are not sold on Gordon or Ausberry (who might be converted back to WR if he cannot compete with newcomers Kasa and Rivera). Either way, worst case scenario is that we have three TE's instead of one. I like this pick... but not as much as I like the other guy we picked up further down the line :)

LT Murray, RB: 

I cannot wait to watch this guy in silver and black. The great thing about studs from small insignificant programs is that a lot of times, nobody notices them and then you get all these fans who don't know anything either and don't really watch any college football to begin with all asking "who?" Well, meet Latavius Murray who is already shaping up to be the steal of this draft for the Raiders. Quick, strong, smart and high character. Able to reverse field. Can explode through to the second level and make safeties and corners miss on big runs even though he doesn't have elite speed. But he does have above average speed even while being built like a tank. Hard to tackle. A great complement to McFadden. And once the Raiders start getting that power running scheme going again, the combination of McFadden, Murray and Reece will be electric. Trust me on this. This guy is probably my favorite pick of the whole draft.

Mychal Rivera, TE: 

As much as I like Kasa, this is the TE I'm most excited about. He's a natural passcatcher with excellent hands, vision and football smarts. He's strong and can block, too but he's clearly more of the catching TE than Kasa is. And let's face it, this is now a two TE league (see what New England has done). The versatility that this dude Rivera brings when combined with the other tools at Coach Dennis Allen's disposal will allow the Raiders to run multiple looks out of TE sets; play actions, short routes, power runs, the whole nine. Rivera looks explosive in his video reel and when groomed and taught the game at the pro level can become a productive TE in the mold of Tony Gonzalez as he has the size, skills and awareness needed for that. I'm really excited about this dude suiting up in the silver and black, too.

Stacy McGee, DT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzI7XAJLHsA

There's your defensive lineman lol. The truth is, it is very likely that our need at defensive tackle has been overstated. Kelly was pretty lazy, Seymour was a liability and all in all, that combination cost us a ton of money. The guys Mac has already brought in (Walker, Sims, etc) may not be pro-bowl elite tackles but hell if they aren't hardworking, veteran pros who come at a cheap pricetag. Furthermore, Lamarr Houston was a great tackle in college before being converted by the Raiders into a DE. Anyway, about this dude McGee, he's athletically gifted and has all the makeup of a contributing, strong defensive tackle. Like just about all these other rookies (save maybe Hayden), he's going to need instruction at the pro level before they can contribute as starters but that is to be expected as the point of the draft is to grab talent, not experience. If coached correctly, McGee will clean up what is basically his only weakness which is his attitude. This is a different Raider team now... there aren't other cancerous folks around to proliferate bad attitudes. McGee takes some plays off, that's his knock but honestly, being a 6th round pick means he won't cost much. If he doesn't learn and buy into the program, he gets cut and the Raiders lose nothing. This is yet again another example of how much smarter this new regime in Oakland is. 

Brice Butler, WR: 

Great value for a wideout this late in the draft. The Raiders had, like they do at several positions, a glaring need at wide receiver. Carson Palmer last year didn't really play all that badly and in fact most of the time was the only reason the Raiders even looked competitive but he had a group of underperforming, young and inconsistent receivers. Outside of Streater and Criner, everybody else was either hurt, inconsistent or horrible. Butler is a good gamble. He comes cheap, has a lot of game and can be taught as he, like just about all these other picks, has a great attitude. I've watched this dude's tape and I like how he runs his routes, deliberately, makes good cuts to get open and sees the ball into his hands on the reception. Great value here.

David Bass, DE: 

Sack, Sack, Sack. He gets after people and is explosive. The Raiders had one of the worst passrushing teams in the NFL last year which may have exposed the secondary and made it look even worse than it already was... which was pretty bad lol. With a revamped secondary and an emphasis put on improving the passrush, the Raiders are hoping that Bass can come in and compete for an edge rusher spot in the rotation and give us that pressure on the QB we sorely lacked. The dude gets sacks. I don't care that the level of competition isn't SEC or whatever. The dude gets sacks. He has the instinct and the physicality to translate to the next level but like all other draft prospects, needs proper coaching. The regime in Oakland has changed and I trust the coaching staff. If this guy works hard at getting to that level, he will be an awesome DE for us for years to come.

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There were also some additions to the team after the draft was completed. In a lot of ways, the undrafted rookie signings are where the fun really is. Every team has guys on its board they know or think will slip out of the draft altogether because they're diamonds in the rough and they bank on them being unclaimed when the draft is over. These guys are brought in to bolster competition and to push the guys that ought to have starting jobs into earning them. And sometimes, they themselves become the starters. Remember that some of the game's brightest stars are found this way; Arian Foster is a perfect example and Reggie McKenzie made a living finding these kinds of guys when he was with the Packers like with Tramon Williams.

Kentrell Harris, DE, Virginia Union
Lamar Mady, G, Youngstown State
Kyle Magnuson, OT, Wyoming
Dexter McColl, S, Tulsa
Sam McGuffie, RB, Rice
Kyle Padron, QB, Eastern Washington
Conner Vernon, WR, Duke

John Wetzel, OT, Boston College
Deunta Williams, DB, Cal
Tim Wright, WR, Rutgers

There are a lot of guys that are on this list, all of which are unproven but enticing talents, but the one guy I'm most excited about is WR Connor Vernon out of Duke. I hate comparing guys to existing NFL guys but this is that Welker, Amendola type of WR, great motor, hands, toughness, energy level. The Raiders can certainly use that sort of guy in the offense to add versatility and big play ability. Obviously he'd need a lot of polish as there are some issues with his game but he stands out to me as a guy who can make the team and contribute as part of our young and promising receiver corps. 

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The Oakland Raiders have been a much maligned organization for the past decade, now. It has been hard for many Raider fans to have any kind of faith in this thing getting turned around. Doesn't help, of course, that Raider hate is always strong and plenty of people are going to say horrible things about the team, its leaders, its current players, its future ones, its fans and everything else that comes to mind. However, there is hope. Lots of it, even. This draft class is proof of that. 

And remember, the Raiders gain a ton of cap space next year as a lot of those awful contracts that McKenzie inherited and has been jettisoning will be coming off the books allowing for him to really shop the free agent market. Real talent and balance will come to the Raider organization very soon. The Raiders may have to endure a tough season this year but it won't be because of a lack of effort or chaos in the system. If they are outplayed by far more talented teams, so be it. But the Raiders are turning the corner and haters beware: the autumn wind is a swirlin' and it has a name.

RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAIIIDERRSSSSSSSSSS