The Raiders are nuts if they take Russell #1 (1 Viewer)

[Da Guru]

When I look back at the quarterbacks who have been taken this early, I always seem to prefer the ones that everyone said were more NFL ready, like Manning and Palmer. When I think of the ones who had the physical gifts and lots of upside, guys like Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, and Jeff George come to mind. I don't know if it's correct, or if it's fair to judge Russell by my half-assed memory, but I wouldn't take Russell with the #1 pick or even a top 5 pick.

Do you remember how non nfl ready Peyton was said to be when drafted?

Well- between Leaf and Manning before we knew the outcome.... it was said that Leaf was the one with the upside and Manning was the more NFL ready. Basically- Leaf = Russell (more upside) and Manning = Quinn (more NFL ready). Not saying that means Quinn will have the glorious career while Russell is out of the NFL in a couple of years but that was the talk back in the day.

Rusell could be the next Leaf/Akili SmithQuinn should be a solid, but not star NFL QB.

 

[JohnnyU]

When I look back at the quarterbacks who have been taken this early, I always seem to prefer the ones that everyone said were more NFL ready, like Manning and Palmer. When I think of the ones who had the physical gifts and lots of upside, guys like Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, and Jeff George come to mind. I don't know if it's correct, or if it's fair to judge Russell by my half-assed memory, but I wouldn't take Russell with the #1 pick or even a top 5 pick.

Do you remember how non nfl ready Peyton was said to be when drafted?

Exqueeze me? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you meant to say Leaf was not NFL ready, but according to a lot of scouts had the most upside, not Manning. Peyton Manning was more NFL ready than any NFL QB drafted in recent memory, and was thought of as just that when he was drafted.If you really meant what you said, then I'm embarrassed for you.

 

[Jason Wood]

CJ is obviously the best player in this draft, but there's a ton of good WR's, so anyone taking him at #1 has either A)Be in dire need of a WR, or B)Is solid in most areas and can afford to go strictly by BPA. Oakland fits neither.

I don't understand this logic. The team with the #1 pick is never solid enough in most areas to go best player available. If they were, they wouldn't have had the worst record in the NFL the previous year. The team with the #1 pick should almost always take the best player available, regardless of need. The only way I'd say otherwise is if they had a glut of talent at the position - if San Diego had the #1 pick last year and for some reason couldn't trade it, it would have made sense to pass on Reggie Bush. You can make the argument that the Raiders have a ton of talent at WR, but I don't understand the logic that they have to take a quarterback because they need one.

Exactly BFred...good teams draft BPA, crap teams draft Need. This is by no means an absolute, but if you're picking 1st, chances are you've got more than one need and simply cannot afford, under any circumstances, passing up the best player on your board.Houston did this last year. They passed up on the best player because they thought there was value at the RB position elsewhere. How did that work out for them?

You mistook me a little. I am talking about this specific draft, not draft logic in general. Many MANY people, including the scouts, have Russell as a top 3-4 pick. What I'm saying is that there is so much talent at WR this year, I don't buy into the logic that CJ should be #1 regardless of the team or it's needs. The WR need is too easily filled in the second, or even third round. The franchise QB need can ONLY be filled in the top 5 or 6 picks this year.Scarcity inflates value. Abundance deflates value. This year, franchise QB's are scarce, WR's are abundant.Yes, CJ is the better prospect...that doesn't mean he's a better #1 for the Raiders THIS YEAR....UNLESS you believe he's a WAAAY better prospect then Russell or the other top 3-4 prospects.BPA is a nice philosophy, but if there's 5 more close prospects lined up at the same position, but only one behind the second best player available....well, sometimes it's better to take the 2nd best overall.To put this in an easier to understand perspective....Peyton Manning could be considered as one of the best players for fantasy football.....yet the scarcity of stud RB's leaves Manning at the tail end of the first round in most fantasy drafts. The real draft is the same way....just because someone's the best player doesn't necessarily mean he's the best pick!

I don't necessarily disagree with what you're saying. My point is that if Oakland believes CJ is THE definitive, clear cut top player [as is the consensus], they should take him regardless of position. Now, if there are two or three players with equivalent grades, then you are better to focus on which one best fits the need.

 

[bostonfred]

When I look back at the quarterbacks who have been taken this early, I always seem to prefer the ones that everyone said were more NFL ready, like Manning and Palmer. When I think of the ones who had the physical gifts and lots of upside, guys like Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, and Jeff George come to mind. I don't know if it's correct, or if it's fair to judge Russell by my half-assed memory, but I wouldn't take Russell with the #1 pick or even a top 5 pick.

I think thats pretty selective memory. Tim Couch, Eli Manning, Heath Shuler, Rick Mirer, etc. were all "NFL ready" as well. Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Vince Young, etc. were all not "NFL ready."

It very well could be. I don't really remember how people talked about Mirer/Bledsoe or Shuler at the time. I do remember people saying that Couch was the best QB available in a down year for quarterbacks, and that Eli wasn't going to be as good as Manning but was a decent QB. The general feeling around those guys is similar to the feeling on Quinn - he might not be special, but he does some things really well. I kind of look at Vince Young as a bust. Vick, Young, McNabb and McNair were all mobile quarterbacks, and while McNabb and McNair developed into decent but unspectactular passers, Vick didn't and the jury's still out on Young. All of them were worked in slowly their first year. And none of them were prolific passers out of the gate, although Young had very good overall numbers. Russell is not a runner like those guys, so it's all about his passing ability. Also, when I think back to the predraft hype about McNabb, Vick, McNair, and Young, all of them had that "wow" factor. People were dying to get these guys. Quinn and Russell don't seem to have that to me. Quinn seems to have the "if you can overlook this and that" factor, while Russell has the "imagine what he could do" factor that makes people go nutty over guys from Akili Smith to Matt Jones. Both of those seem like warning flags to me in my - and I'll repeat - very half-assed approach to judging quarterbacks.

 

[Colin Dowling]

Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer are by far the QBs most thought of as being "NFL ready" in the last decade. I remember clearly because I scoffed at Palmer being grouped with Manning, who was without a doubt "ready."