Raiders draft will probably come down to these 5:

[raiderman41]

Unless the Raiders trade up, they will probably have their choice among these three players:

Haloti Ngata, DT
Michael Huff, CB-S
Vernon Davis, TE
Jimmy Williams, CB-S
Vince Young, QB

Davis is probably the "cleanest" pick, meaning that he is the most athletic for his position in the draft. Vince Young is probably the biggest question mark, as scouts are all over the board with him, from "his intelligence and mechanics are questionable," to "look what he did in the BCS Championship."

Ngata would fill a need on the team, as he is a HUGE DT with the quickness to dominate on the defensive line, but he didn't always dominate in college. Huff is quite an athlete, too, running sub 4.4s. The knock against Huff is that he hasn't played cornerback on a full-time basis the past two years (he played safety), so a move to S would be a possibility if he doesn't pan out at CB. Jimmy Williams is probably the draft's top cornerback, although he has his detractors, too, and is rated as the fourth or fifth cornerback on some draft boards.

It would be great if one of the top five prospects fall into the seventh spot. At least one top player falls in every draft; will one fall enough this year to reach the Raiders? If one falls, it may be AJ Hawk, as teams begin nitpicking prospects in the final week or two. Hawk is only a little over 6-1 and weighs about 245. This is an average size for an outside linebacker in today's NFL, but Hawk has run 4.4 40s in recent week, which would make him one of the fastest linebackers in the league.

If Hawk falls, I hope the Raiders will pick him, as he has a mentality that will immediately upgrade our defense. I think he could move our defense up at least 10 spots in overall defense, just by his presence. If Hawk doesn't fall, the Raiders will then pick. . .

Vernon Davis.

Al Davis loves speed. He can see an offense featuring Jerry Porter, Randy Moss and a pass catching TE with sub 4.4 speed striking fear in defenses all over the league. Al recently picked up two veteran CBs, and has three young ones in the fold, too -- Asoumghi, Routt and Washington. What the Raiders need is a safety, not a cornerback.

If, for some reason Davis is gone, then the Raiders may look at Huff as a playmaking safety who can cover the entire field and cover slot receivers.

[r8rs181]

did you write this or get it from somewhere?

[MrSiKwIDiT]

Good assesment, I agree strongly. I would love defense 1st but if Young is on the board I don't see how we pass even with Walter showing promise. I would trade up to get Hawk or Williams. We could use either but defense is my wish.

[islandboy]

Originally Posted by raiderman41

Unless the Raiders trade up, they will probably have their choice among these three players:

Haloti Ngata, DT
Michael Huff, CB-S
Vernon Davis, TE
Jimmy Williams, CB-S
Vince Young, QB

Among these three players?????

You list 5.....Are you trying to play some sick evil mind trick on me??? If you are I will ask that you get banned immediately!!!

[HollandRobbie]

Could, be but they might trade down, what concerns me is a lot of board have us pick a Qb Cutler and/or Young. I hope with all my hart that we don't do that. So i'll be happy with Huff, Hawk, Mario, or even White (RB) his work out will be this weekend,. I think he'll run a 4.4 and will shoot up in the draft. 6.2, 235 pd, and 4.4 speed thats to good to pass up.

[Ryno4444]

All I can say is "DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE" !!! We need to upgrade on "D". A great T.E. is nice but it will not get us to the playoffs... Running the ball, playing good "D", and not making stupid mistakes wins in this league.

[Steerpike]

Jimmy Williams?

Take me out and shoot me if he's our 1st round pick.

[HollandRobbie]

Exactly strong D, Good running and our WR core with the riffle of Brooks has to get us some W's..

So D it is Al

[raiderman41]

Sorry for the mistake in the second line, it is 5 players.

A few more points. The Raiders' new DB coach is from Virginia Tech, which means that Williams may be on the radar more than we would like to believe. He is actually bigger, and almost as fast as, Huff. He doesn't have the consistency, though, that Huff has.

The player that I (and I believe most Raider fans concur with) most want is DE Mario Williams. But I think we would have to trade up to the second pick in the draft to get him, as New Orleans, if it doesn't trade the pick, will select Williams. I would think that moving up to the second pick may cost us our second rounder and a quality player, which, to me, is a little steep. Let's just hope that between now and the draft that the scouts begin picking apart his game, or that there's some unfounded rumor making the rounds that allows him to slip. I don't think it's gonna happen, though.

Some have also suggested that the Raiders trade down. Although the Raiders rarely, if ever, trade down in the draft, it might be wise for them to do so, especially Davis is off the board. The Raiders need to rebuild their offensive line, linebacker corps and add a safety in a big way. The Raiders could easily pick up the second best offensive tackle or number one rated guard as far down as the 15th spot, and there will be plenty of good linebackers available in the second round. Even S Darnell Bing might be available at the top of the second round.

So, if the Raiders could move down in the draft, perhaps as low as 15 or 17, they could potentially pick up additional second and third round picks.

With their draft, they could do something like this:

1) LB Chad Greenway
2) S Darnell Bing
2) DE Darryl Tapp
3) G Charles Spencer
3) DT John McCargo

[blackmario]

Jimmy Williams?

Take me out and shoot me if he's our 1st round pick.

o common man jimmy williams would be perfect. if the raiders dont trade down the will go defence and if they dont take ngata or greenway the wont take huff hes 2 small to play saftey they will take jimmy hes more physical and plays harder!

[kadfr]

Originally Posted by blackmario

o common man jimmy williams would be perfect. if the raiders dont trade down the will go defence and if they dont take ngata or greenway the wont take huff hes 2 small to play saftey they will take jimmy hes more physical and plays harder!

If in doubt, draft a cornerback.

[nsraiderfan]

Originally Posted by kadfr

If in doubt, draft a cornerback.

only way i see us drafting jimmy williams is to play saftey i cant see it though with all the DB pick ups the last week or 2

[12gannon]

I say if DeAngelo Williams is there you gotta take him. Hes too good a player to pass on. I know everybody wants Lamont Jordan to be our back. And yes he has shown some moves. But hes no DeAngelo.

[cheapshotartist]

Originally Posted by Ryno4444

All I can say is "DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE" !!! We need to upgrade on "D". A great T.E. is nice but it will not get us to the playoffs... Running the ball, playing good "D", and not making stupid mistakes wins in this league.

I know what your saying!