Oakland Raider Draftee background informaion (1 Viewer)

[Corey O]

If you want more then you'll have to dig.

Round 1, Pick 4 (4) Darren McFadden RB 6'2" 210 Arkansas

Pick Analysis: Arguably the most talented player in the draft, McFadden brings a big-play threat to Oakland. He will offer a compliment to quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who was the first overall pick in 2007. In three years at Arkansas, he carried 785 times for 4,590 yards and 41 touchdowns. He has exceptional acceleration and upper body strength.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&...sa=N&tab=wv

Darren McFadden, a two-time Heisman runner-up, is regarded as one of the finest players in college football in recent years and one of the best to come out of the University of Arkansas. The two-time Doak Walker Award winner shattered numerous school and Southeastern Conference records during his three seasons at Arkansas, establishing himself as one of the league's elite all-time backs -- Herschel Walker of Georgia, Bo Jackson of Auburn and Emmitt Smith of Florida.

Round 4, Pick 1 (100) (From Dolphins through Cowboys) Tyvon Branch CB 6'0" 204 Connecticut

Pick Analysis: Branch is strong, fast and has started for four years. His measurables have been exceptional. Branch's strong workout numbers compare to only five other players at his position and four have played in the Pro Bowl, while the fifth is a quality contributor in the NFL.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=57...ZnzBA&hl=en

Despite his impressive 40 time and success as a kick returner, Branch struggles changing directions. An instinctive, physical defensive back, Branch is best suited to playing cornerback in a two-deep scheme or making the transition to free safety. A team leader, Branch was responsible for the secondary calls from his cornerback position - a role usually reserved for safeties.

Round 4, Pick 26 (125) (From Jaguars through Ravens) Arman Shields WR 6'1" 194 Richmond

Pick Analysis: Shields did not have as good a senior year as he did as a junior, but he's still tall and he's fast. He ran a 4.37 40 and also had impressive cone drill numbers. He's a guy who can amass yards after the catch and make plays.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&...sa=N&tab=wv

Standout lower level prospect who was invited to the NFL Combine despite missing all but the first game of the 2007 season due to a knee injury. Shields will have to prove his knee has healed to have any shot at getting drafted, of course, but when healthy he has shown the combination of size, strength, burst, straight-line speed and reliable hands to surprise at the next level - just as the last Spider to earn an invitation to the Combine (veteran linebacker Shawn Barber) has.

Round 6, Pick 3 (169) Trevor Scott DE 6'5" 256 Buffalo

Pick Analysis: Scott is a tall defensive end, with speed. He has great workout numbers, but his production on the field was somewhat lacking. He needs to demonstrate on the field the talent that his workout numbers indicate he could be capable of.

He played TE until just before his junior year and then made the shift to end where he flourished. 45 tackles and 9 sacks as a junior, despite never having played DE previously, 46 tackles, 15 TFL and 10 sacks this past year. His pro numbers:

40 Yrd Dash: 4.54

20 Yrd Dash: 2.59

10 Yrd Dash: 1.53

225 Lb. Bench Reps: 32

Vertical Jump: 33 1/2

Broad Jump: 09'09"

20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.19

3-Cone Drill: 6.84

Round 7, Pick 19 (226) (From Vikings through Jets) Chaz Schilens WR 6'4" 225 San Diego State

Pick Analysis: Schilens excites people because of his exceptional size and speed. Due to his pure athleticism, he will have a chance to make the roster. He still needs some polish as a receiver.

J.J. Pesavento, of Next Level Scouting, reports San Diego State WR Chaz Schilens measured a height of 6-foot-3 7/8 and a weight of 208 pounds at his Pro Day. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds and 4.39 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.14 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.82 seconds. He measured a 43-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-3 broad jump and completed 16 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.

His season was slowed by a stress fracture in his foot.

As for our entire team: Hate now; scratch your head later.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

Run DMC Has Haters on Their Heels

Good news, the media are already hating on our selection of McFadden, just as they were mocking us for considering McFadden prior to the draft.

You know you've done something right when the haters are nervous and chattering and making little sense, like saying the McFadden pick fits a typical Raiders pattern despite the fact that we haven't drafted a running back in the second round or higher for 13 years.

Witness this excerpt from the lead paragraph in the San Francisco Chronicle’s editorial—I mean, report—about the pick: "The Raiders, who start and end with Davis, decided outstanding talent trumped obvious need Saturday by drafting Arkansas running back Darren McFadden with the fourth overall pick of the NFL draft."

Ummm…We have an obvious need to score touchdowns, do we not? We're averaging 1.25 offensive touchdowns per game over the past two years, which is sub-pathetic. But that Al Davis, he’s just crazy for drafting a playmaker like Darren McFadden.

After all, in 14 games last year for the Vikings, rookie running back Adrian Peterson only scored as many touchdowns as our entire offense did in 2006.

I also love this argument about how we really shouldn’t have drafted an elite running back, and that we should have instead drafted a defensive lineman because…our top rivals have elite running backs.

In other words, remain scared instead of doing the scaring.

We’re stacked at running back? LaMont Jordan is essentially gone. That leaves us with Rhodes, who could barely crack our starting lineup last year; Bush, who is unproven at this point, and who couldn’t earn activation last year; and Fargas, who has scored six touchdowns for us in five seasons. Fargas has a history of getting injured, as does Bush. If you think any of our opponents was quivering at the thought of our running attack prior to drafting McFadden, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

So was re-signing Fargas a mistake? No. He'll still play. If you're looking for a money mistake at running back, look no further than last year, when we paid Jordan and Rhodes millions to not play.

The anti-McFadden crowd acts like we’ve done nothing to shore up our defense. How about Gibril Wilson for Stuart Schweigert? How about DeAngelo Hall for Fabian Washington? By putting more pressure on the pass, and by having a safety who can take care of business in the open field, we will, by default, make progress in stopping the run. Kelly, Warren, Burgess, Richardson and company aren’t chopped liver, either.

Another argument I’ve heard is that running backs don’t win championships. Yes, that’s a distinction reserved for defensive tackles, right? How about we stop this nonsense about championships, anyway? How about first do something we haven’t done in five years, which is win at least six games. Then we can talk about championships.

McFadden, Russell, Bush and Miller could help us build a young foundation and offensive identity that, as we continue to plug holes on both sides of the ball over the next few years, could eventually take us to the promised land. That’s how I see it, and I’m all for it.

McFadden will light a fire under this offense. Just watch.



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