Breaking it down: 07 grades...

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007

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Oakland Raiders 2007 draft was a possible turning point in the Franchises history. 11 picks, 4 potential first rounders, and help at almost all need areas.

Before I get into my break down and grades, I'll make a couple notes:
1) The McCown/Williams trade counts as a day two trade
2) Moss trade counts as a day two move

Day one:

1.1 Jamarcus Russell QB, LSU:
A great move and arguably the biggest pick in the last 10+ years for our team. Good or bad, this move is huge, and was one that had to be done. It seems the fans, owner, coaching staff and media all liked this pick. The guy is off the charts physically, and Cam Cameron even said in an interview (After passing on Quinn and drafting John Beck) that there was JR and then all other QB's in the class...It wasnt close.

Grade: A+

2.38 Zach Miller TE, ASU
Another solid pick, made even better by the masterful trade down.
This guy isnt Tony Gonzalez or even Todd Heap, but he's a solid blocker, a good character guy and he has good hands. He's also 21 years old, which is crazy for a TE.

Grade: A

3.65 Quinton Moses DE, Georgia
A potential top 10 pick until a flop of a Senior season, this guy is fast, agile, plays hard and with the right coaching, he could be a star.
I think we have the DC and DL coaches to get the most out of him...

Grade: B+

3.91 Mario Henderson OT, FSU
A shocker. Trading away a future 3rd and seventh isnt that steep a price, but this guy was a reach. Free, Barbre, Koets and a few others all graded out higher according to the experts, and I question this trade.
My one solice is the hope that it was a Cable call, and he thinks Henderson has the goods.

Grade: D

3.99 Johnny Lee Higgins WR, UTEP
Classic Al Davis pick, but look past the surface on this one...
The dude runs decent routes, has production in college AND has the speed Al D craves. I think he has a Steve Smith ceiling or a Devery Henderson floor. He isnt Carlos Francis. A solid pick.

Grade: C (Too much DT talent left over, IMO)

Day one grade: A
* 5 picks, a potential franchise QB, depth at DE,OL WR and a starting TE.*

Day two:

4.100 Michael Bush RB, Louisville
Huge pick. Talented, big, strong and a bonafide talent. Kiffin even stated in interviews that RB isnt even a need, but you cant pass on a top twenty pick in round 4. He has a biiiig chip on his shoulder too...

Grade: A+

4.105 *Traded for Josh McCown and Mike Williams*
I love this move. I would have traded a fourth for McCown anyways, so getting BMW for free is huge. I fully expect McCown to start, and BMW to play a bit for us...

Grade: A+

4.110 John Bowie CB, Cincinatti
The pick is weak, especially with some major talent on the board, but considering we saved 8 million and dropped a cancer while doing it:

Grade: C+

5.138 Jay Richardson DL, OSU
Not a bad pick, but value was left on the board. Guys like Allison, Frye, Landri, Antonio Johnson and Dallas Sartz were higher on most boards.
That being said, he can play inside or out, has a long lanky build and played for a program that churns out players all the time.

Grade: C

5.165 Eric Frampton S, Washington State
Oddly enough, he's a no-measurables, high effort, type guy. A football player with good tackling and ST's ability.

Grade: C

6.175 Oren O'neil FB, Arkansas State
I know nothing of the guy, so a grade is almost silly, but I personally didnt like the pick. Nothing against Oren and he does fill a need, but we left Bender, Blades, Studdard and Wendling on the board and took a guy who has been injured for 2 years...

Grade: D

7.254 Johnathan Holland WR, Louisiana Tech.
Not on anyones board, but he's fast. We have so many WR's that this guy won't even see the field on a preseason game.

Grade: F

Day two grade: B
*Would be lower, but Bush and the loss of Moss is an automatic upgrade*

Overall 2007 NFL draft grade: A
Went with a combination of need, talent and skill and were able to move up and down to get the guys they wanted. Got rid of a cancer, added two QB's and picked up 2 guys who if motivated, could be absolute beasts in BMW and Mike Bush.

Best draft I've seen the Raiders have, it rejuvenated me as a fan, and Im proud to dawn the Silver and Black today.
 
I appreciate you doing this, but Frampton a C?

I mean the knocks on him were for athleticism, but if you watch him live or on tape you'd never guess that he had marks against him for that, or only ran a 4.6. At the bottom of round 5 I think this pick should be rated more highly.
 
Give us your grades then.

Thats my opinion, I think we lost value on the 5th round picks, and Frampton isnt gonna beat out the 7 or so DB's ahead of him on our team for much playing time. He's barely 200 pounds so a borderline SS, he is too slow for CB, and he doesnt have the ball skills or range to play FS. So he's a gunner on special teams, I guess.

Ends up being a fair C grade to me.
 
You were a little tough on Bowie and Henderson. Bowie was tapped as a sleeper on the rise by Gosselin. The Raiders always look for the same type of athlete for corners. Bowie fits that mold almost perfectly. We needed a CB, he is what the Raiders love whether we like it or not. As for Henderson, anytime you have a guy that's a first time starter as a Senior, the grades are going to be all over the map.
There simply isn't any tape on him until this year. After the top 3 tackles, all of them were projects. Henderson has some real pluses, he's way more the athletic than guys like Barbre. If Cable likes what he has to work with its fine by me.

One other thing about Higgins, he's also capable of returning kicks. So when that day comes that Carr gets killed on something he should have fair caught, at least we have a backup.

As for DT talent, evidently nobody in the league was thrilled with the options. Almost all the DT fell beyond where they were projected.
 
JaMarcus Russell:
could be a bust... could be john elway. A

Zach Miller:
Best TE we've had in over a decade. A

Q. Moses:
Boom or bust here... might be our RE of the future... might never be more then a wave pass rusher. B+

Mario "Coolio" Henderson:
Position of need and if he develops he could be a monster RT in the ZBS... that said he was a bit of a reach. C

Johnny Lee Higgins:
Value WR here. ST contributer, 3rd WR with speed, Monster YAC guy. B

Micheal Bush:
Could be our future #1 RB. Great Value. Great pick. A+

Josh McCown/Mike Williams: for a 4th rounder? Even if McCown is only here for a year and Williams turns out to be nothing more then a 4th its still a great move. A+

Josh "David" Bowie: Fastest player in the draft. I'm thinking Dime back/ST guy. Spells the end for Starks/Whitted/Francis. Definate reach here. C-/D+

Jay Richardson: more I read and see of him I see this as Burgess's backup. Good strong pass rusher. Good athlete. Versatile. Bit of a reach. B-/C+

Eric "Peter" Frampton: in the box SS who can hit like a ton of bricks. Will me a monster ST guy. B

Oren O'Neal: Blocking FB who can catch and has speed. Will be a contributer on STs and in goal line situations. Decent value. Good pick. B

John Holland: Speed WR... nothing to see here. Ryan Hoag, Kevin McMahan part 3. D-
 
1. JaMarcus Russell. Kiffin sounded like he wanted to make out with the guy. I love the pick, I wonder why it wasnt more obvious to me earlier. Once i heard Kiffin's post smokescreen ass kissing I was thoroughly hyped. Calvin Johnson wouldnt have been as good of a pick as JR. A+

2. Zach Miller. A "Football" player with great hands. Young, reliable and will most likely start week one. If he improves his blocking he could easily be a steal in Rnd2. Tight Ens was a bigger need than OL. Courtney Anderson was due to make 1.5 million and i think his ass is grass now. Saves money for us too! A+

3. Q.Moses. This guy was considered a top 15 pick after his JR. Just like J.Anderson was this year. He put on some weight and lost a little speed. This guy reminds me of Derrick Burgess and i think he will be a good understudy to DB. A pas rushing DE is always an plus. Brayton had 0 sacks last year. How much better is Jarvis Moss? Not much in my book. A+

3. Mario Henderson. I didnt care for this pick but our O-Line did need some help. After a little research this guy makes sense. He has perfect size and athletisicm and basically just needs to be coached up. He also sounded like a down to earth guy. Zone blocking scheme requires agility and this guy was a former TE. He also played RT/LT/LG. Lets hope that Cable see's something. C-

3. J.L.Higgins. This pick makes perfect sense. This guy is the burner who is going to play the Steve Smith to J.Porter's D.Jarrett. Kiffin has his possesion guys in Porter and BMW. He has a reliable slot guy in Curry. He needed a deep threat and this guy put up some serious #'s and has great speed for Screens and deep bombs from JR. A

First Day A. The Mario pick was off putting but everything else fit like a puzzle.

4. Mike Bush. A++++++. Wow if he is back to full health we are going to have a beast of a RB for the future. A++++++++

4. McCown and BMW. Wow. a good reliable starter to protect JR a guy to fill the void left by Moss. Last time Kiffin had BMW he made everyone think he was a top5 draft pick. A year off and a rocky start in the NFL doesnt mean he cant get back to that form. The kid is YOUNG A+++

4. Bowie. This pick Blows. He is a track star special teamer I doubt he see's the field on D unless he is part of a dime package in 2009.CB was not a need. S.Routte, Fabs, Namdi... D

5. Jay Richardson. I like this pick because this guy plays nasty vs the run. We need all the help we can get in that Dept. He makes a good pairing with Q.Moses. Package them together. We needed help stopping the run, this guy could be a pleasent suprise. Nasty vs Run = B+

6. Eric Frampton. This pick is ok. It gives us another guy who will play his ass off on special teams. He also can play the run well so maybe he can help with our depth in case of injury. Not a bad pick, this guy is a football player. This late in the draft its im grading for depth and ST. B+

6. Oren Oneil. This guy is also labeled as nasty. He was drafted to replace Z.Crocketts cap # im guessing. If he can provide some run blocking from the FB position this is a great pick. Paired with Griffith we would have a very nice combo. B

7. Johnathan Hollan F- . This guy is a track star. Wasted pick. I wanted a DT like patterson or Walter thomas. I would have rather had Rhemma McKnight or Duckworth G from Auburn. F-

Getting rid of Moss A++++++++++++++. Guy is a has been. He is a supercancer right now and would have spread like a disease through our locker room. Great Move. How much money do we have for Namdi and Burgess again?

OVERALL GRADE A+
Potential franchise QB, a longterm answer at TE, a pass russhing specialist, a deep threat for our offense and a project RT to bring along. Michael Bush could make this one of the best drafts ever if he goes back to his college form. Getting rid of Moss and his cap#!!! Aquired a former #11 pick and a exp. starting QB. I too am proud of our franchise today. Its good to be us right now. The AFC west fans are pissing in there thongs.
 
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Gosselin had him on the rise, but three other sites didnt have him in the top 50 CB's let alone a 4th round possibility.

Looking at my guides and a couple sites, the best I saw was a 'Priority UDFA' rating.

A lot of 'track star' 'sprinting champion' 'pure speed' in his reports though...

Im not gonna polish a turd. We have Aso, Fabs, Routt, Carr, Starks, Huff, Cooper, Schweig and BJ Ward on the roster...

This guy wasnt a need, and the fact that we could have gotten Fred Bennett, Tarrell Brown or Michael Coe if we wanted a CB makes the pick worse. Guys like DeOssie, Baraka Atkins, Alan Barbre, Doug Free and Ryan McBean were also on the board at the time...

I didnt like that pick at all.
 
Jared Zabransky
Darius Walker
Jackie Battle
Ramonce Taylor
Tyrone Moss
Rhema McKnight
Joe Newton
Matt Trannon
Jason Caprizzi
Elliot Villejo
Kyle Williams
Anthony Wollschlager
Mkristo Bruce
Justin Hickman
Louis Leonard
Walter Thomas
Zach Catanese

Im hoping we finish off the draft with a couple developmental UDFA's.
 
Frampton and Bowie!!

I feel like holding up a match, till they come out for an encore.

This draft answered a lot of questions. In fact, I think we got more answers that we should have been able to expect.

QBOTF? Russell.
Will he start? Probably not.
TE situation? Very clear. Miller 1, Stewart 2. After that, does anyone else care?
Randy Moss? Gone.
Lamont Jordan? Might want to hold off on getting that inground pool installed.
Lane Kiffin? Has some juice with the boss.
Al Davis? Fights off senility again.
WR position? Much clearer. Porter gets his shot to be the man.
Chris Carr? In trouble.
DE? Addressed. Burgess, Moses, Huntley, Brayton has potential.
Tommy Kelly? DT, not a DE.
Linebackers? Set. Raiders appear to be happy with Tommy, Kirk, and Sammy.

So I don't know what grade I give it. I know I am a homer, and won't allow a few "reaches" to affect my attitude.

And let's be clear, not all picks are created equal. If we screwed up the Henderson pick, well, we screwed it up. In 5 years, JaMarcus, Miller and Moses will determine this grade. If they all become good players, it doesn't matter if Bowie sucks.

I dare someone to find a Raider draft they liked better than this one. I can go back 20 years in draft memories, and the only one that's close, is the Harris/Buchanon draft. And we made two reaches in the 2nd round in that one. Our first reach today wasn't till end of the 3rd? That's fine by me.
 
One last thought on the Bowie pick. I seem to remember people hating on the Aso, Fabian, Routt, ect picks at the time. Particularily the Aso, he was a HUGE reach according to Raider fans in general. Just for the record, we do have the number 1 pass defense in the league. You never have too many corners, we had a roster spot for one, Bowie will have plenty of time to prove his worth, in the meantime its special teams. He won't see the field on defense unless we have a bunch of injuires.
 
To piggy-back on the Bowie thing, I was reading a report on the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star game, the game that made Walter Thomas almost-famous, and Bowie was one of the stars of the practice week. Supposedly made plays all week.

With guys we don't know, we can only wait-and-see.
 
I knock the high pick of a CB more than the actual guy. We have three young corners. Didnt we already draft a guy named Stanford Routte who was fast an needed to be developed. I guess ill trust the staff on this one, but we had some other areas like OL that would have been better served IMO.
 
I hated the Aso pick, so I'll give you that.

Mayb this guy is a player.

Maybe.
 
1)JaMarcus Russell A

Calvin Johnson would have had more of an immediate impact, but getting a QB for the long term was right up there in importance with getting a long term head coach in... That Kiff, Knapp and JR are in this together from the beginning is a major plus IMO... I was really impressed with how grounded his family and community was and I think that reflects well on the person he is...


2) Zach Miller A

I said months ago that he was the best TE in this draft and I still believe it... He gives JR a safety valve and the days of trotting out blown up WR's should mercifully be over...

3) Quenton Moses A

It's been said that he looked like he played this year not to get hurt... If we can get him back to his JR year form, he's really going to help us... Can't wait till Millard gets his hands on him and we can have Moses and Burgess meeting at the QB...

3) Mario Henderson C

Can't argue with the measurables especially with how it pertains to a zone blocking scheme, but I don't know anything about him... Trading up for him tells us that we were targeting him before the weekend even started, so Coach cable must see something he feels he can develop...


3) Johnnie Lee Higgins B

Tedd Ginn lite?... Pretty damn good football player that happens to have track speed and not a track guy that happens to play football...Great after the catch guy and the kind of guy that gives all these cover two looks problems...


4) Michael Bush A+

Is it possible (knock wood) that after 4 years of suffering that we've found our franchise QB and franchise RB in the same draft?... Awesome talent with a chip on his shoulder from the sounds of things...

4) John Bowie C

I'm not nearly as down on this pick as others are... All corner spots are not created equal... With Routt reportedly alot more comfortable playing on the outside, our choices to match up inside on slot receivers in our nickle and dime packages existed of basically the aging Duane Starks... I knew this was a 'matchup need' going in and was a little afraid we'd fill it in RD2 with a Josh Wilson or Chris Houston... As it stands, Routt backs up Aso as the strongside corner and Bowie probably eventually projects to play inside in certain packages.... I grade this only at a 'C' because while I understand the position pick, I'm not really that familiar with the player...


5) Jay Richardson C+

There's always room for high effort, energetic D-linemen on my team... Like I said in the draft thread, I think he was drafted to eventually play Sapp's undertackle spot... Anyway, his gives us some flexibility... At the very least, he's a Bobby Hamilton base end type of player... We also seem to be stocking up on guys that can play in the 34 as well....

5) Eric Frampton A

Love the pick... All the Bowie/Frampton 70 references we can make will just be a plus... This guy can seriously bang and has the instincts you wish a guy like Gibby possessed... With all apologies to the Schweig fans, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Frampton is the starter next to Huff this time next year...


6) OJ Oneil A

Don't ever let anyone tell you that whining doesn't pay off... I've been bitching for a FB ever since we stupidly let Jon Ritchie go... It took long enough but I've been finally been appeased with one of the best all around FB's in Justin Griffith and now a guy that will hammer LB's on iso's...


Overall an A day and a great weekend... It would have been nice to get more for Moss, but it feels good to get out from under that contract and the black cloud that fugger was projecting... Plus, it's pretty clear that this was Kiff's directive... Showing that Kiff has the strong pimp hand early on like this is will pay dividends... and frankly I don't think this is the last guy he'll run before the season starts...

I also believe the trade that aquired McCown and BMW rates an "A"... You can hold me to this: BMW will produce under Kiffin and reclaim his first round pick status...


All in all, a great weekend... I would have liked to see a two gap DT at some point, but the talent pool there was pretty unimpressive IMO...
 
hawaiianboy said:
You can hold me to this: BMW will produce under Kiffin and reclaim his first round pick status...
Click to expand...

Wow, you really believe he can be a stud huh? Does this mean a Keyshawn Johnson type of performance?

Be nice if someone could post an old profile on him so we can all get re-aquainted with his talent ;)

All in all, a great weekend... I would have liked to see a two gap DT at some point, but the talent pool there was pretty unimpressive IMO...
Click to expand...

I was kinda disappointed too, but I've been thinking about what you mentioned about those 90's Cowboys. Doesn't seem like we're in a real hurry to to find a stud 2 gapper, even though all us fans believe it's the missing link. Maybe we are modeling after an overall team speed model... Terd does well for the snaps he gets, and maybe we're more interested in penetration and disruption the rest of the time rather than stoning the line of scrimmage.

I'm thinking we've gotta already have the quickest back 7 in the league...
 
Okay, I'll grade this out too:


1.1- J Russ- Like I said before, if the kid is HALF of what Al thinks he is, then we have a QB for the next 10 years and a possible AFC Title or 3 in that span. I prefered to have CJ or a trade down to land Quinn who fits the system better, but who can complain at this point.

A

2.38- Zach Miller- Is the TE we have lacked since the days of Todd C. Kid is a solid blocker and better pass catcher than any TE on our current roster. Add to that his great work ethic, character and Kiff's knowledge of him and we possibly have an ALL PRO for 10 years. Nice value pick as well.

A+

3.65- Quentin Moses- What can be bad about anyone named MOSES. First round skills when motivated. This is a toss up for me because the pick fills a need but didn't present much value based on his senior season. Boom or bust as far as i am concerned.

C-

3.91- Mario Henderson- Despite the lack of value with the pick based on who was available, i like the pick. He is everything L walker wasn't if he develops. Loads of upside and is a coachable. This could be the biggest pick of all in 2-3 years.

B-

3.99- JL Higgins- Most say it's a typical Al davis pick. NOT TRUE. Huge value pick as most scouts had him rated as a 2nd round pick. He is very skilled and very fast. Carlos Francis on 'roids, if you will. He will be the #3 WR by mid season and could be an eventual starter in my eyes.

A+

4.100- Mike Bush- Anytime you can land a bruiser RB who belongs in the middle of Round one, in the 4th round, you win. This guy also fits Kiff's system and can be, when healthy, a monter to catch, let alone tackle. Biggest steal of the draft.

A+

4.110- John Bowie- The only thing that really excites me about Bowie is he is how we cured cancer. His speed could be an assett if he can return punts better than my boy Carr. If we lose Carr to him, i'll be pissed because Carr has better all around football skills. But the pick gets graded on symbolism.

C+

5.138-Jay richardson- Not too sure about the possible conversion to 1 gap tackle for this kid and the pick presents no true value right now. A reach in my opinion.

D

5.165- Eric Frampton- A pure football player. I actually had him graded higher than Weddle. Special teamer for sure, possible starter. G'bye Gibby.

B

6.175- Orenthal O'Neal- Back to the days of Jon ritchie; Bush, Jordan and Fargas have to be elated with this pick. I am!

B+

7.254-Jonathan Holland- Camp Fodder for sure, a waste if you ask me.

F-


Added McCown and BMW and the subtraction of Cancer Moss makes this draft as good as any. Don't forget, we pulled 4 starters in the 06 draft and possibly this one as well. Based on the Moss deal and the McCown/BMW deal, this draft smokes last years and last years was the best we ever had. Development is everything on this one and we don't have to rush JR at all.


A all the way and we could easily finish 8-8 next season! HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!
 
JR = A
Miller = A
+ BMW and McCown = A
Moses = A
Henderson = C+
Higgins = B-
Bush = A
Bowie = D
Richardson = D
Frampton = A
O'Neal = B
Holland = F

Overall = A-

JMO.
 
Good stuff.

Pretty stunning consensus thus far.
 
Holland averaged 17.9 yards per catch and cost no more than a UDFA. Just saying.
 
JR = B+ (could turn into A+)
Miller = A
+ BMW and McCown = C+
Moses = A+
Henderson = F
Higgins = B+ (with the trade of Moss, he fills a need well)
Bush = A++ (the + because of his comments)
Bowie = C (speed plus mixed reviews of talent)
Richardson = C- (Hard worker)
Frampton = A+
O'Neal = A-
Holland = D

Overall (not an average) A-
 
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