NFL Draft Preview: Oakland Raiders

Da Raiduhs....Oakland has undergone so many low low years that even though the Raider Nation has not let up their hope, the front office has been uneasy for having at least some success to build off of. The long holdout of JaMarcus Russell last year was one that the Raiders didn't anticipate happening and set them back a bit because of the lack of practice time and game time that Russell actually got when all was said and done, but he did get some time--which was important. It is his team, so what now?

To me, the biggest concern is at receiver. Yes, they got Javon Walker. Yey or something. Besides being a pain in the butt most of the time with whining and carrying on, he has a pretty long standing history of knee problems, which is a death curse to a wideout. Likewise, the team has got to shore up some defensive line issues, because even though Tommy Kelly is decent, he's not all that and a bag of chips, and they have also got to get a good pass rushing DE, in my opinion.

I personally think that with this in mind--the Raiders SHOULD go after Chris Long, arguably the best DE in the draft. But of course, this is Al Davis' team, and that probably means that he'll go after hype and a name, which would more than likely at that time be Darren McFadden. If Glenn Dorsey slips, the Raiders should grab him up, but I don't think it's going to be a surprise if the Raiders get McFadden--even though they just re-signed Justin Fargas. It is a nice thought to think that Russell and McFadden may be playing together, but Russell needs someone consistent to throw to and they have to play defense every once in a while, right?

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NFL Draft Preview: Oakland Raiders

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