Sitting at No. 4 Looks Good…
Raiders have many options next weekend
Monday, April 21, 2008
By Victor Cotto Raiderfans.net Staff Columnist
After a productive off-season and what appears to be a settled situation within the front office and along the sidelines, the Oakland Raiders will focus on acquiring some much needed talent during next weekend’s NFL draft.
Oakland has addressed many key gaps on defense – primarily their depth –and added an immensely talented defensive back to a secondary that already featured one of the best cover cornerbacks in the game.
But those moves may not be the final pieces to the puzzle in their effort to give Rob Ryan a nice compliment of weapons to use on his defense.
A dream scenario for the Silver & Black would be for Howie Long’s son, Chris, to be sitting there at the no. 4 overall pick.
The nostalgic nature of that selection, envisioning another number 75 gracing the field with the Long name on his jersey along a defensive front would be major box office for the Raiders.
If he does become a Raider, Long is prepared to follow his father’s footsteps and primed to make his own name with the same organization Howie built a hall of fame career with. He has the type of ethic, attitude and mind set to take on such a task. "It would mean the same as playing anywhere else, honestly," the younger Long said. "It would be an opportunity to play in the NFL. Obviously, there's so much more to it there. I'm not afraid of any situation or any burden with the name.
"I've been dealing with this stuff my whole life. But obviously it will be taken to a new level in a place like that. It's pressure, but I tend to welcome any pressure with open arms."
His addition could be just what the Oakland front-seven needs.
Long’s pass rushing skills, playmaking ability and versatility could give Ryan many options that have not been to his disposal since he has been a Raider coach.
LSU’s Glenn Dorsey is also an option if available, but Long’s selection would be the cherry on top of the sundae that has been their busy off-season.
Sitting at the 4th pick seems to be the perfect position for the Silver & Black, especially after doling out big bucks to the
JaMarcus Russell last season.
If neither Long nor Dorsey falls into their laps, players such as Darren McFadden or Vernon Gholston can be solid choices. Both can add explosiveness to their respective units, aspects that the Raiders have talked about improving since the end of their 4-12 campaign under first year head coach Lane Kiffin.
Regardless of who is there and what the Raiders encounter as the clock ticks during their allotted time frame during the first round, they will have many avenues to explore and a handful of players that will help them move forward.
OUTLOOK:
Drafting Long will be a dream scenario to many due to the many on the field and off the fiend implications. And he will be the Raiders selection in my opinion if he is there. But that does not mean that Oakland will be disappointed or feeling shortchanged if he is snatched up before they are on the clock. Kiffin needs to add pop to his offense now that Russell is the starter, and McFadden is the only player that you can justify taking that high that could address some of the Raiders needs. Al Davis is known to fall in love with remarkable talents like McFadden. And even with the abundance of bodies they have in the backfield, Oakland will not be disappointed in falling back and taking the star out of Arkansas due to his knack for the big play and nose for the end-zone.