The Oakland Raiders only had one Day 1 draft choice, but they sure made
it a good one. At least from a controversial standpoint.
Arkansas halfback Darren McFadden jumpstarted a draft for the Raiders
that included just five total picks, two trades and, not surprisingly, a
really, really fast cornerback.
With all teams now off the clock, here’s a report-card-style breakdown
of each of Oakland’s picks and a final draft grade.
• Round 1, Pick 4: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
This pick would look much better if Oakland wasn’t already so deep at
running back. The Raiders currently have four capable halfbacks signed
to their roster -- Justin Fargas, Dominic Rhodes, Michael Bush and
LaMont Jordan -- and two of those ball carriers (Fargas and Rhodes) were
given extensions this offseason.
Without a doubt, though, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound McFadden will bring a
new dimension to the field next season. McFadden has excellent
acceleration, and he instantly becomes the team's fastest, most
explosive option on the ground. In three years with the Razorbacks, the
former SEC standout carried the ball 785 times for 4,590 yards and 41
touchdowns.
McFadden’s the first running back team owner Al Davis has selected in
the first round since drafting Napoleon Kaufman 18th overall 13 years
ago. That, alone, is a major statement: Plan on seeing a lot of the
rookie next season.
The Raiders gave up one of their seventh-round picks to Dallas to move
up four spots in Round 4 to grab Branch. The 5-11, 204-pounder ran a
4.31 40-yard dash, which is very likely why Davis spent the team’s
second pick in the draft on him. In four years with Connecticut, the
speedy DB totaled 230 tackles, 18 pass breakups and three interceptions.
As just a cornerback, this pick would grade very low, considering DB
ranks close to the bottom on the list of needs for the Raiders. Branch,
however, ranked 13th in the nation last year with a kick return average
of 29.0 yards, including two for touchdowns. With KR/DB Chris Carr gone,
Branch may be the man filling the void on returns next year. If not,
this pick is a real head-scratcher.
Grade: C-minus
• Round 4, Pick 125: Arman Shields, WR, Richmond
As expected, Oakland dealt away cornerback Fabian Washington on draft
weekend, sending the former first-round pick in 2005 away to Baltimore
for the 125th choice on Sunday.
With that pick, they took the 6-1, 194-pound Arman Shields, who has good
speed (4.44 40-yard dash) and tremendous hands; however, he has been
hurt by his lack of explosiveness and marginal level of competition
faced while at Richmond. Shields also only played in three games as a
senior, missing the bulk of the ‘07 campaign with an ACL tear. On a
positive note, however, Shields demonstrated that he hasn’t lost a step
since, ranking in the top 10 at his position in all seven of the main
events at the NFL combine.
Grade: C-plus
• Round 6, Pick 169: Trevor Scott, DE, Buffalo
Finally, in Round 6, Oakland picked up a player who could fall into one
of its “need” positions. Many had the Raiders selecting Virginia’s Chris
Long fourth overall to remedy the team’s thinness at defensive end;
because Long was taken second by the Rams, Davis opted to search for
depth much later.
Scott has both great measurables (6-5, 256 pounds) and speed (4.63 in
the 40), but comes from a struggling program with very little national
exposure. The former tight end played in 41 games with the Buffalo Bulls
(24 starts), and recorded 99 tackles, 19 sacks, 12 quarterback pressures
and 28½ stops for losses. With 10 sacks as a senior, Scott ranked second
in the MAC and 16th in the NCAA in the category.
Grade: B-plus
• Round 7, Pick 226: Chaz Schilens, WR, San Diego State
This is the third straight season Davis has closed off his team’s draft
by taking a wide receiver. In 2007, it was Louisiana State’s Jonathan
Holland; in 2006, it was Maine’s Kevin McMahon. Holland is still on the
roster, while McMahon was cut prior to ‘06.
The problem for Schilens is that with Shields being selected in Round 4,
Oakland now has 12 wideouts on its roster. Still, the late-rounder
appears to have all that Davis likes: size (6-4, 220), speed (4.38 40
time) and, well, he can jump (43-inch vertical). The 22-year-old had an
injury-rattled senior season with the Aztecs, but still managed to haul
in 35 passes for 679 yards and three TDs.
