Raiders Reach For Two Players
With the 7th pick in the first round the Raiders were on the clock and Michael Crabtree was still available. The selection is made and the commissioner announces it. Darrius Heyward-Bey. Not Michael Crabtree. Not the sophomore who was a two-time winner of the Biletnikoff award given to college football's best wide receiver. Not the playmaker who had 231 receptions and 41 touchdowns in two years. Not the best receiver available. Instead the Raiders looked past those numbers and only saw these numbers: 4.3. As in Darrius Heyward-Bey ran the forty yard dash in 4.3 seconds. Now, time will tell as to whether this was the right pick, but right now common sense says it is nowhere near being the right pick.
The Raiders could have traded down into the bottom half of the first round and still would have had a great shot at Heyward-Bey, who looks like this year's version of Troy Williamson. His highlight tape looked great, but everyone's highlight tape makes them look like a Pro Bowl player. In three years Heyward-Bey had 138 catches and 13 touchdowns. In Crabtree's freshman season he caught 134 passes for 22 touchdowns. Maybe the Raiders see upside in Heyward-Bey, but there is upside in Crabtree too, and with him having gone to 49ers at pick #10 these two players will be compared until their careers are over.
Crabtree was a player that I personally wanted the team to draft. I've been hoping for him since the beginning of last season. Now it seems that the only way I'll ever see him in a Raiders uniform is if he either dresses up as one for Halloween, or if when I buy Madden 2010 later this year I immediately trade him to the Raiders for Javon Walker.
The Raiders weren't done reaching in the second round. At least this time they traded down and got more picks in the process. They traded their second round pick, 40th overall, to the Patriots for the 47th pick, and fourth and sixth round picks. Then they used the 47th pick on a very little-known safety by the name of Michael Mitchell, of Ohio. Mitchell was not invited to the combine and was not an important player at the Ohio Pro Day. He did run the forty yard dash in 4.43 seconds though.
I watched his highlight tape and the guy can hit really hard. He layed some people out. But this is a guy the Raiders could have probably gotten at least a round later. Probably 2 or 3 rounds later. They took the player they identified as the next Ronnie Lott or Jack Tatum but he's from a small school and it will take him a while to get used to the pro game. Both of the Raiders' picks are headscratchers and it leaves me wondering why Al Davis is still in charge. These picks are evidence of his senility and I actually got a text from a friend today saying he won't like the Raiders anymore until Davis dies. I'm not someone who wishes death upon anyone, though. I just want him to stop sticking his nose into these affairs which he obviously knows nothing about.
4/25/09
