Grade the Oakland Raider's Draft

[Brothgar]

Round 2, Pick 16 (48) Stefen Wisniewski OL 6'3" 313 Penn St.
Round 3, Pick 17 (81) Demarcus Van Dyke DB 6'1" 176 Miami
Round 3, Pick 28 (92) (From Patriots) Joseph Barksdale OL 6'5" 325 LSU
Round 4, Pick 16 (113) Chimdi Chekwa DB 6'0" 191 Ohio St.
Round 4, Pick 28 (125) (From Patriots) Taiwan Jones RB 6'0" 194 Eastern Washington
Round 5, Pick 17 (148) Denarius Moore WR 6'0" 194 Tennessee
Round 6, Pick 16 (181) Richard Gordon TE 6'3" 265 Miami
Round 7, Pick 38 (241) (Compensatory Selection) David Ausberry WR 6'4" 243 USC

[Brothgar]

Round 2, Pick 16 (48) Stefen Wisniewski OL 6'3" 313 Penn St.
Grade: B
I Really like Wisniewski as a player he is technically sound with a nasty demeanor. Has good weight to him and gives a good punch at the point of attack I could easily see Wisniewski starting day one at center for the Raiders
under Hugh Jackson.

Round 3, Pick 17 (81) Demarcus Van Dyke DB 6'1" 176 Miami
Grade: C-
I'm a little higher on DVD than most are but still this was a bit of a reach in my mind. DVD has participated in both the East West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl players that do both I kind of want to take another look at in the next level. In classic Al Davis fashion the fastest player at this years combine is an Oakland Raider. Van Dyke beat fellow raider's CB Stanford Routt as the fastest CB 40 yard dash time since 2005 coincidence I think not. All in all DVD is a developmental prospect who could do really good things in two or three years but shouldn't have been a 3rd round selection.

Round 3, Pick 28 (92) (From Patriots) Joseph Barksdale OL 6'5" 325 LSU
Grade B-:
Now this grade drops significantly if they plan on putting Barksdale at the OT position but I have a feeling they are looking for a replacement for Robert Gallery then I like the value and his versatility is a plus anyway. Barksdale has some good power to him and he is very athletic to be able to pull from the guard position. He impressed some at the OT position at the East-West Shrine Game but left others disappointed. I expect Barksdale to be a day 1 starter from the OG position or potentially the RT position for the Raiders.

Round 4, Pick 16 (113) Chimdi Chekwa DB 6'0" 191 Ohio St.
Grade B+

This selection more than makes up for the DVD pick. Chekwa is a versitile young CB who can play zone and man very well has great speed and athleticism and should be able to play year 1 as at least a nickle corner.

Round 4, Pick 28 (125) (From Patriots) Taiwan Jones RB 6'0" 194 Eastern Washington
Grade A

Taiwan Jones may be my favorite sleeper in this draft while he isn't really a sleeper anymore he was at the beginning of this off season. Taiwan Jones has an acceleration that is truly special. To put it into a comparison. People raved about the 10 yard split of Mark Ingram, Jones beat his 10 yard split by nearly a tenth of a second. That is fast. But Jones isn't just a track guy who wants to be a football player. He has great vision and can turn on a dime. The selection of Jones will at least make any injury of Darren McFadden much more tolerable and if he doesn't Jones should be a premier kick returner for the Raiders if they wish to save Jacoby Ford's legs.

Round 5, Pick 17 (148) Denarius Moore WR 6'0" 194 Tennessee
Grade: B+
Wow yet another track star with good hands for Al Davis although he has found success in the past with such pick most recently with Jacoby Ford in the 5th last season. But how many WRs does Al Davis need?

Round 6, Pick 16 (181) Richard Gordon TE 6'3" 265 Miami
Grade: C
I'm honestly surprised he was drafted he is a mature young man and a decent pass catching tight end with a ton of upside.

Round 7, Pick 38 (241) (Compensatory Selection) David Ausberry WR 6'4" 243 USC
Grade: C
Big fast and physical he is a developmental WR who has worlds of upside. Will likely be a practice squad body for the foreseeable future.


Overall: C+
I think you have to add Richard Seymore into the equation as the first round selection. After that they got some great high upside players and one to three day one starters so four starters day one is not a terrible thing for a draft class. It is nothing great but it will be interesting to see how this one works out.

[Abaddon]

Round 2, Pick 16 (48) Stefen Wisniewski OL 6'3" 313 Penn St.
I like Lil Wiz. The legacy thing is kinda cool. But, like Eli Manning, Mike Pouncey, and Casey Matthews, you can't help but wonder how much his last name inflated his perceived value. I don't think he would have been available when Oakland picked in Rd3, but I also wonder if maybe 48th overall was a little high.

From a positional standpoint, I think he's probably a pure center in this scheme. I don't think he has the power to play guard at a level fitting of a high 2nd round pick. And, being that he's a center, and being that Oakland likely still owns the rights to Samson Satele (who was actually pretty good in the latter half of the season), I can't help but wonder if upgrading at center was the way to go as opposed to addressing the gaping holes at RG and RT. With Ijalana right there, coming off the board with the very next pick, would he have been the better option? And just how much better than Satele will Wisniewski be?

Call it a B just because Wiz-2 is sure to be at least a good player, and he follows last year's trend of drafting smart, motivated, team leader type players.

Round 3, Pick 17 (81) Demarcus Van Dyke DB 6'1" 176 Miami
Classic Al Davis idiocy. World class speed, marginal football talent. At least this year's Heyward-Bey came in Rd3 rather than in the top 20, but it was still far too early for such a developmental project. DVD. DHB. Just stay away from people with names like this entirely.

F

Round 3, Pick 28 (92) (From Patriots) Joseph Barksdale OL 6'5" 325 LSU
Positionally, this pick addresses a huge need. But the player is...meh. Anyone known for doing just enough to get by isn't going to develop a work ethic after he gets paid, especially not in Oakland. He has upside, but upside and a buck 50 will get you a cold Coca-Cola and little else. This pick has bust written all over it. Nevermind the fact that pick comes from a really god awful trade. Losing next year's #2 pick is going to sting.

D

Round 4, Pick 16 (113) Chimdi Chekwa DB 6'0" 191 Ohio St.
Probably going to prove to be a decent value here, and almost surely a better player than DVD.

B

Round 4, Pick 28 (125) (From Patriots) Taiwan Jones RB 6'0" 194 Eastern Washington
Needed a #3 back, specifically one who can do some of the things McFadden does since he can't be counted on to play 16 games. Jones has a long history of injuries and fumbles, though. So, in spite of his legit talent, he's still quite a gamble.

C

Round 5, Pick 17 (148) Denarius Moore WR 6'0" 194 Tennessee
Seems to be almost unanimously viewed as a guy with real gem potential. His draft profiles certainly don't read like those of a 5th round type of player. Definitely curious about this guy's future.

A

Round 6, Pick 16 (181) Richard Gordon TE 6'3" 265 Miami
Round 7, Pick 38 (241) (Compensatory Selection) David Ausberry WR 6'4" 243 USC

Neither guy was really a draftable prospect, imo. Not to say I'm a scout or anything, because I'm about as far from a scout as it gets. But, really. If these guys make the roster, it'll be because Al forced better players off the roster to make room for them.

Double-D