After Further Review: Rush, rush
It’s “D-Mac” in Silver & Black at No. 4 overall
April 26, 2008
By Eric “Ace” Strauss, Raiderfans.net Staff Columnist
Running back Darren McFadden was all smiles on the Radio City Music Hall stage.
NEW YORK — In the end, they couldn’t resist, could they?
Sure, defensive line was the Raiders’ biggest need. And Glenn Dorsey, perhaps the top prospect in the 2008 NFL Draft, was there.
But so was Arkansas’ superstar running back, Darren McFadden.
Who cares that
Justin Fargas just re-signed for big money? Who cares that Dominic Rhodes renegotiated his deal? Who cares that Michael Bush is ready to go after a redshirt rookie year?
Someone call LaMont Jordan a cab and a moving van.
The Oakland Raiders have a new star rusher: The man they call D-Mac, or Run-DMC.
Whatever you call him, call him a Raider. And call him Lane Kiffin’s second franchise player on offense.
The pressure’s officially on the youngest head coach in the NFL. Again.
Sure, Kiffin talked about trading down. Sure, he talked about the need for a run-stuffer.
But the Raiders are the Raiders. If there’s a superstar playmaker, no matter the baggage, no matter the needs of the team, Al Davis wants him. The Oakland owner is on a spending spree in an effort to get his team back into contention right this very second. And he wasn’t afraid to spend more cash for a potential stud.
At No. 4 overall, he got him.
Maybe the Raiders will run the wishbone triple-option. That would be something to see, if only on two-point conversions:
Ronald Curry under center, with fullback Justin Griffith, Fargas and McFadden in the backfield. Sheer chaos for any defense.
But honestly, what will the Raiders do with a pair of starting-caliber running backs?
I don’t know. Maybe what Kiffin did at Southern Cal with LenDale White and Reggie Bush. What the Raiders used to do with Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson, or Napoleon Kaufman and Tyrone Wheatley. Heck, what Arkansas did with McFadden and Felix Jones.
Run the ball. And run the ball some more.
Not to mention, win some football games.
McFadden cracked the 1,000-yard mark all three of his seasons for the Razorbacks, capped by a 1,830-yard junior year that broke his own Arkansas rushing record.
If there’s any question about McFadden, it’s one of character — more specifically, the people he surrounds himself with. But what does character matter to the NFL’s Bad Boys? As long as D-Mac comes to play on Sundays and avoids some of the fumble problems he had in college, he’ll be welcome even in the crowded Raiders backfield.
Forget that for now, though. It’s April, and hope springs eternal, even for a franchise five years removed from a winning season.
Let’s run down the superlatives:
• “Exceptional run vision, smooth feet and the burst and top-end acceleration to get through the line and consistently gain yards in chunks”: Lindy’s.
• “Despite every defense focused on him — and he faced some great defenses — McFadden was close to unstoppable”: Pro Football Draft Guide.
• “Has big-play capability and is a threat to score every time he finds a crease”: Pro Football Weekly.
• “Rare speed for a big back … creates big plays”: Ourlads’ Scouting Services.
• “Has the tools to carry an NFL offense”: The Sporting News.
Not only can McFadden run, he’s a quadruple threat: He can catch — despite only 46 career receptions, PFW says he “catches the ball well” — return kicks and even throw, with seven career touchdown passes.
The stats:
2005: 176 carries, 1,113 yards, 6.3 average, 11 touchdowns; 14 catches; 12 kick returns.
2006: 284 carries, 1,714 yards, 5.8 average, 14 touchdowns; 11 catches (1 TD); 10 kick returns (1 TD); 7 completions (3 TDs).
2007: 325 carries, 1,830 yards, 5.6 average, 16 touchdowns; 21 catches (1 TD); 16 kick returns; 6 completions (4 TD).
With Chris Long, son of Raider Hall of Famer Howie, off the board at No. 2 overall, the Raiders didn’t face an ugly choice — pass on Long and face a
PR nightmare — and clearly didn’t think pass rusher Vernon Gholston of Ohio State was the right man to put opposite sack leader
Derrick Burgess.
So it’ll be a D-Mac Attack this fall in Oakland.
Let the games begin!
After Further Review: Rush, rush
Everyone calmly please purchase your Dmac jerseys in an orderly fashion. 
