Some draft sites coming round to my thoughts, if we stay at #4 we will pick...

[Bram Raider]

Vernon Gholston.

Thats right. Al will pick Vernon Gholston.
He's such an athlete and at a position of real need - defensive end.

4. OAKLAND RAIDERS
VERNON GHOLSTON DE | Ohio St.
It will be hard for Al Davis to pass on Darren McFadden because we all know how much he loves those rare athletes but Vernon Gholston is no slouch in his own right and he fills a bigger need in Oakland. Tommy Kelly is moving inside to help replace Warren Sapp which means there is a huge hole opposite Derrick Burgess at end so Gholston would be a perfect fit. As an added bonus he could also move to outside linebacker when they go to a 3-4 look and that versatility can't be underestimated. With that said McFadden is still very much in the picture (even though they re-signed Justin Fargas) and they could also take Glenn Dorsey and keep Kelly outside at end.

NFL Draft Countdown - 2008 NFL Mock Draft

4. Oakland Raiders – Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State (Previous pick: Glenn Dorsey)

Oakland and Al Davis are perhaps the hardest projection in the first round. The Raiders could certainly use one of the top two defensive tackles here, despite resigning Tommy Kelly to a huge contract. The Raiders may be tempted to take Darren McFadden, but with Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, and Dominic Rhodes all fighting for space in a crowded backfield, even Al Davis seems unlikely to make that move. Vernon Gholston fits the Raiders perfectly. He is a freakishly good athlete who has dominated his workouts and is a physically imposing player. He would serve an immediate need for a Raiders defense that lost pass rusher Chris Clemons. Gholston, who was flat out dominate at times at Ohio State, has a chance to go #1 overall to Miami, but if he slips here, it seems he would the logical pick for Oakland.

Updated 2008 NFL Mock Draft - Three Rounds - The War Room Report




It just makes so much sense if we pick at number 4 overall.

[Bram Raider]

Vernon Gholston, DE-OLB -- Ohio State

He continues to impress NFL decision-makers. He bettered many of his combine numbers on March 7 in Columbus with a 40 time of 4.56 seconds and a vertical jump of 42 inches. League insiders are now saying they would not be surprised if Bill Parcells uses the first pick of the draft to select Gholston, who has the best potential to be an impact defensive player.

SI.com - NFL - Tony Pauline: Risers, sliders from pro-day workouts - Friday March 14, 2008 12:15PM

Thats just what we need.
An impact defensive player.

[raiderwood]

And I can support that, Bram. Wow, it's a shame we did nothing to improve the middle of our defense, but with the additions of possibly Hall and Gholston, nobody in the league can argue that we got much stronger on D. I think we can get away with what we have on offense. We didn't really lose much there, and filled all the holes. I'd be happy with the BPA here, and where I still think that'll be DMc, Gholston is a close second in my book.

[Raider Ran]

Watch out Bram I hear the McFadden guys coming after you.

[Bram Raider]

Originally Posted by Raider Ran

Watch out Bram I hear the McFadden guys coming after you.

Yeah, the other half of the mock drafts have us drafting Darren McFadden.
I'm just waiting to see a MIG flying overhead any moment now.

Still, the reason mock drafts have us picking McFadden is because of his athletic ability.
I'm saying that Vernon Gholston is by far a better athlete.
Stronger and faster than McFadden given their relative sizes.

In all the clips I've seen, Gholston has one of the fastest first steps I've ever seen in a DE.
He just eats up the gap to the OT, leaving the OT little time to set up properly.
He'll make an impact as a rookie. Maybe 10 sacks.

[R8Rshawn]

i have formally jumped off the McFadden bandwagon and onto the Gholston Express. NOt because of any Mock(ery) drafts but because i beleive he fills the need that we have. the need for speed(rush).. "Tom Brady will go down and he will go down hard"

[ismail86]

I would love to see Gholston in the S&B...he would really help out the pass rush...

[gdamac]

It does make a lot of sense. We know Burgess is at least a little unhappy at his contract situation, plus he is 30. His numbers have been on a decline since the 16 sack season. He and Bobby Carpenter would make our defense compete. If Burgess can return to form, with the coverage we are going to have, oh boy. Gholston is so much more complete than some of the people around here give him credit for and he would be a big help against the run, I would love to see him put those huge arms on LT and crush him! Plus, if we had Carpenter, Gholston to add to Richardson and Drew Carter we'd be like Buckeye's west. Ohio State tends to produces high characters guys,.

[buckwild187]

I disagree. After reviewing our offseason so far and knowing that Al wants to win NOW, McFadden is likely the pick. Who else in the draft can step in right away and make as big an impact as him? Jake Long maybe? It's hard to argue against DMC. Yes I know we have a solid backfield but NONE of them are game-breakers.

SI.com - Writers - Jim Trotter: Raiders targeting McFadden at No. 4 - Wednesday March 19, 2008 10:54AM

Read that and you'll agree too. Unless Howie's boy is sitting there we really can't expect Al to pass on DMC. As for trading down, again, Al wants to win NOW. He has never been one to follow conventional wisdom, so since trading down seems like to most logical thing to do, would anyone expect Al to do it? Probably not.

[Slump]

I've been saying it will be Gholston for awhile, even though it SHOULD be Clady. It looks like we are really concentrating on the defensive side of the ball, which I would be really excited about if we didn't have so much invested in our QB.

[#32 Allen]

Gholston is in the mix with the Miami Dolphins because Parcells said Gholston reminds him of Lawrence Taylor. So Gholston and Chris Long will be gone by the #4 pick. Sorry.

[TKO8]

THANK YOU!

I dont understand you DMC lovers....

RB = Not a need
DE= HUGE NEED

No pressure = No success!

[Slump]

Originally Posted by #32 Allen

Gholston is in the mix with the Miami Dolphins because Parcells said Gholston reminds him of Lawrence Taylor. So Gholston and Chris Long will be gone by the #4 pick. Sorry.

Gholston will not go #1. He might go #2 to St. Loius, but I really doubt it.