Raiders Not So Good at Drafting (Graphic)

[BusSport]

This graphic gets across just how badly the Raiders have drafted recently and how many terrific opportunities they whiffed on:

Think how incredible their team could potentially be now if they had just made the next pick instead every year...

 

[Bmurph]

Ouch, thats a rough graphic

 

[David_son]

I would imagine Buffalo and Cleveland look the same way

 

[CreepCreep2014]

WOW...who was the QB in 2005 that they passed on Rodgers? Imagine him throwing to Mega and Fitz, crazy to think about that group. Now of course who knows how things would have gone if they drafted Fitz and Rodgers, who is to say they would have been able to grab Mega....fun to think about!

 

[Fountain City Blues]

WOW...who was the QB in 2005 that they passed on Rodgers? Imagine him throwing to Mega and Fitz, crazy to think about that group. Now of course who knows how things would have gone if they drafted Fitz and Rodgers, who is to say they would have been able to grab Mega....fun to think about!

I kind of doubt Rodgers amounts to anything in Oakland- just a hunch.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

DHB has become a permanent special teamer... Not likely to stick around much longer

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[cdumler7]

I kind of doubt Rodgers amounts to anything in Oakland- just a hunch.

Yeah Oakland has been known lately as the place where careers go to die. Rodgers became a big part of what he is because he didn't have to start day 1 and could work on becoming an NFL quarterback.

 

[SteveDallas]

Somebody needs to throw themselves on their sword.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

This is what happens to teams that struggle financially. It's not about being able to pay players etc. It's the inability to pay for quality scouts, and quality assistants to develop talent etc. How can a franchise possibly suck this bad at scouting and drafting for so long?

 

[ducky]

Yeah Oakland has been known lately as the place where careers go to die. Rodgers became a big part of what he is because he didn't have to start day 1 and could work on becoming an NFL quarterback.

It's a shame we can't rewind time just to find out....

....because IMO a guy like Rodgers was going to be wildly successful no matter what team he would have got stuck on or when you started him.

He might not have been great, especially right away, but he would have found his way in this league IMO. He flat out throws the football too well not to. Rodgers does one thing simply too well to fail in this league: throws the ball accurately. I've never seen a player with anywhere close to his type of accuracy with the football fail. Of course he might have been Jay Cutler mind you....but that is still a successful NFL pro QB.

 

[ducky]

Somebody needs to throw themselves on their sword.

The guy running most of those drafts died so we can put the sword away.

 

[cdumler7]

It's a shame we can't rewind time just to find out....

....because IMO a guy like Rodgers was going to be wildly successful no matter what team he would have got stuck on or when you started him.

He might not have been great, especially right away, but he would have found his way in this league IMO. He flat out throws the football too well not to. Rodgers does one thing simply too well to fail in this league: throws the ball accurately. I've never seen a player with anywhere close to his type of accuracy with the football fail. Of course he might have been Jay Cutler mind you....but that is still a successful NFL pro QB.

He wasn't always like that though. I've read a few articles about what he did during that time when he was backing up Favre and pretty much he completely reinvented himself as a quarterback. He was not a very technically sound player when he came into the league so he worked on his mechanics to make them perfect.

This is why I am surprised more teams are not doing what Green Bay did in giving a quarterback a few years to develop as I would say very few guys are actually ready day 1 to do any good and many because of so many failures in those first few years just can't quite hack it.

 

[SteveDallas]

The guy running most of those drafts died so we can put the sword away.

That's just what Al wants you to think. Did anyone check his pulse before they closed the coffin. Did they put a stake through his heart or wrap him in silver chains, line the coffin in lead?

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

They appear to have really hit on Mack though. Carr seems solid. Gabe Jackson even got some reps last year.

If they are smart this year and end up with Leonard Williams, Kevin White, or Amari Cooper, they are probably headed the right direction. I know Leonard Williams REALLY wants to be a Raider so if he falls to 4 that's almost a guaranteed draft pick. Raiders are also in a GREAT position this year to trade down. There's a ton of 3-4 prospects in this years draft class and 3 teams drafting RIGHT after them that all need 3-4 OLB/rush personnel. Raiders might be able to snag a desperate team and get an extra 2016 2nd rounder or 2015 3rd.

Raiders kept running the franchise into the ground because they kept mortgaging draft picks for players/trade ups. That's not how you build a franchise. The good teams routinely trade down and stockpile more players to develop so here's a good chance for the Raiders to start that trend. They have some young talent on that team. Mack/Moore/Williams (if they land him via draft) is something you can build around on D. Likewise, White/Cooper, Carr is something you can build around on O.

 

[boltfan72]

While I agree the Raiders have had awful drafts, you could put a graphic like that together for a lot of teams.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

While I agree the Raiders have had awful drafts, you could put a graphic like that together for a lot of teams.

I agree. Gallery, McFadden, Huff, McClain, Hayden were all decently rated.

Heyward-Bey, Washington, were COMPLETELY stupid.
Russell was over-hyped by just about everyone coming out of college... bad year for the Raiders to have #1 overall. I bet if Detroit was #1 they would've gone with Russell as well (since they needed a QB).

 

[cdumler7]

I agree. Gallery, McFadden, Huff, McClain, Hayden were all decently rated.

Heyward-Bey, Washington, were COMPLETELY stupid.
Russell was over-hyped by just about everyone coming out of college... bad year for the Raiders to have #1 overall. I bet if Detroit was #1 they would've gone with Russell as well (since they needed a QB).

Well not according to the GM of the time as he has said he called up the Raiders and told them not to draft Russell as they knew he was going to be bust.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Jesus. Imagine Rodgers throwing to Fitz and Megatron with Spiller/McFadden as the RB's. Crazy.

 

[flaraider]

This is what happens to teams that struggle financially. It's not about being able to pay players etc. It's the inability to pay for quality scouts, and quality assistants to develop talent etc. How can a franchise possibly suck this bad at scouting and drafting for so long?

Simple fact, Al Davis thought he could run the FO.... even into his 80's? Big mistake not delegating authority and building a machine that would take the Raiders into the future.

Even so long in the tooth, failed to realize how the NFL was evolving, basically a stagnant team strategy from the mid-80's on.

Ego can be a terrible thing, this is the ultimate team game, and that carries over to management, after proving the league wrong through his salad years he continued to think he could outsmart everyone, and put his beloved Raiders in the position they suffer through now.

There are signs that his son does have the wisdom to delegate to qualified people, baby steps, but with a little luck the Oakland Raiders could be turning the corner.

Playing catch-up in the NFL is tough, be smart and stay the course.