Key Losses: LT Jared Veldheer (88 ovr) DE Lamarr Houston (89 ovr) RG Mike Brisiel (FA) CB Tracy Porter (77 ovr) CB Mike Jenkins (77 ovr) Key Additions: QB Matt Schaub (78 ovr) RT Austin Howard (81 ovr) LT Donald Penn (82 ovr) DE LaMarr Woodley (87 ovr) DE Justin Tuck (88 ovr) CB Tarell Brown (86 ovr) HB Maurice Jones-Drew (86 ovr) CB Carlos Rogers (81 ovr) DT Antonio Smith (87 ovr) Draft: Round 1 - LB Khalil Mack - Buffalo 87 spd 91 acc 87 agi 80 tak 90 pmv 84 bks 72 prc 74 zcv 87 pow 91 pur Mack is a beast, easily the BPA at this pick, some had him rated as the #1 player overall. Mack can cover the entire field, and does everything well, from coverage to playing the run to rushing the passer. Day one starter. Round 2 - QB Derek Carr - Fresno State 80 spd 83 acc 93 thp 86 sac 74 mac 68 dac 65 pac 57 awr The Raiders had Carr rated quite high on their boards, many teams had a first-round grade on him. More mobile than given credit for, and a pure passer, Carr has natural ability but will need to improve a bit on the deep ball, and decision making. Will push Schaub for starting job. Round 3 - RG Gabe Jackson - Mississippi State 91 str 75 acc 53 awr 92 rbk 76 pbk 66 ibk The Raiders took Jackson to start in the near future at Guard. Big and strong, improving pass blocking is a must for Jackson before he breaks the starting lineup. Round 4 - DT Justin Ellis - Louisiana State 83 str 46 awr 77 pmv 84 bks Depth pick and possible future starter, Ellis dominated through college though at a small school. Round 4 - CB Keith McGill - Utah 89 spd 89 acc 46 awr 65 prc 76 mcv 84 zcv 87 prs The Raiders needed secondary help in this draft, and after a 4th round run on Cornerbacks, the Raiders select McGill with their second 4th rounder. McGill needs some grooming but should be able to contribute a bit right away. Plays huge at 6'3"and as a bonus has experience at safety as well. Round 7 - CB TJ Carrie - Ohio 93 spd 92 acc 91 agi 46 awr 59 prc 97 jmp 73 mcv 80 zcv 84 prs Round 7 - DE Shelby Harris - Illinois State 74 spd 80 acc 77 pmv 76 bks Round 7 - SS Jonathan Dowling - Western Kentucky 90 spd 87 acc 49 awr 39 prc 75 mcv 76 zcv DRAFT GRADE: B+ Mack is a home run obviously. You can bet nearly every NFL team takes him at #5 if he's there. I believe the overall success of this draft depends on two things. First, Derek Carr, and his success as an NFL Quarterback. Carr looks to have all the tools and many would agree he'll be just fine. But then you can't help compare him to his brother, David Carr, who went #1 overall to the Houston Texans but never was able to amount to much. The Raiders need a franchise Quarterback, Schaub is just a stop-gap. They need Carr to be good. And second, I want to see how the two 4th round guys, Ellis and McGill, fare in the NFL. They say championships are won in the draft, and I think nowadays it's moreso LATE in the draft, when you get contributions from guys, potentially guys like Ellis and McGill, to help the team succeed. Schaub is a stop-gap, but really I think the Raiders entire Free Agency was a stop-gap. Don't get me wrong, they got some solid players, but with an average age of 31 for the big name signings, the turnover will be fast with these guys. And it's Ellis and McGill that will be their to retool.
Oakland Raiders Team Outlook 2014 QUARTERBACK: The sexiest question of the season, who is going to start for the Raiders? Matt Schaub is the pitcher who's lost his control. A proven, capable NFL quarterback, but castoff from the Texans after a spiraling season last year, the biggest question with Schaub is a question of confidence. Derek Carr is the future, and one with a ton of potential. The question with Carr is, should the future start now? Projection: Derek Carr HALFBACK: Darren McFadden is the starter, but this will be a platoon all year. McFadden's injury issues are always a concern, and Maurice Jones-Drew will push for a good chunk of touches a game, especially if he can recapture some of his "MoJo". Latavius Murray is looked at as the future of the position, so he will get some work as well. Projection: Darren McFadden FULLBACK: Marcel Reece is one of the more dynamic fullbacks in the league. He's lined up practically everywhere for the Raiders in the past, and can be a mismatch nightmare wherever he's put. The question here is whether Jamize Olamale can keep a roster spot. The Raiders like his skill set, specifically as a blocker, but keeping two fullbacks on roster is practically unheard of. Projection: Marcel Reece WIDE RECEIVER: A solid group. Denarius Moore has the talent to be a number one receiver, only lacking in consistency. Former Packer James Jones is the defintion of consistency, and is a welcome veteran presence to the otherwise young WR squad. Rod Streater really came into his own towards the end of last season and will most likely rotate equally with Jones and Moore. Greg Little gets a try at a new start in Oakland, and will fight youngsters Brice Butler and Andre Holmes for the 4th spot. Projection: James Jones, Denarius Moore, Rod Streater, Andre Holmes TIGHT END: David Ausberry is ultra-athletic, but has struggled to stay on the field with injuries. Mychal Rivera disappointed a bit his rookie year, as did Nick Kasa. It could be the Raiders only carry two tight ends on roster, having the verstile Marcel Reece to use, or even to use the extra roster spot to keep Olamale. Projection: David Ausberry, Mychal Rivera OFFENSIVE LINE: A bit of turnover here, Donald Penn will replace Jared Veldheer at LT. All-Pro Center Stefan Wisniewski is back, but both Guard spots are up in the air, and are likely a weak spot on the line. 3rd Round pick Gabe Jackson may have to start right away. A good battle will be had in camp for the RT position, as Austin Howard was signed to challenge last years starter Malik Watson. Projection: Donald Penn, Kevin Boothe, Stefan Wisniewski, Gabe Jackson, Austin Howard DEFENSIVE LINE: An almost completely retooled line, 3 of the 4 starters on the line are Free Agent pickups, and are looked at as definite improvements. The bad part is, they are all 31 years of age or older. Antonio Smith will slide inside to DT after playing 3-4 DE at Houston. LaMarr Woodley moves to DE after playing 3-4 OLB at Pittsburgh. Add Justin Tuck at the other DE spot to join DT Pat Sims and you have a solid front. No depth here though whatsoever. Projection: Justin Tuck, Pat Sims, Antonio Smith, LaMarr Woodley LINEBACKER: Bread and butter. Possibly the strongest position on the team. Khalil Mack looks to be the real deal. Sio Moore will have a season under his belt and should grow a bit in this defense. Their will be a position battle at the MLB spot, as Miles Burris will be pushing last years starter Nick Roach. A very versatile group, these are fast linebackers who can both rush the passer, and cover the field. Projection: Sio Moore, Miles Burris, Khalil Mack CORNERBACK: Tarell Brown was an excellent pickup. He played well with the 49ers in his time there, he crosses the Bay to be the #1 Corner. He brings vet Carlos Rogers with him, who most likely will see time mostly in Nickel packages, as DJ Hayden will be Corner #2. They'll look to develop rookie Keith McGill, and keep your eye on Chimidi Chekwa, who seems to have a great camp every year, maybe this is finally the one that translates to the regular season. Projection: Tarell Brown, DJ Hayden, Carlos Rogers, Keith McGill SAFETY: Charles Woodson is back for another season. He was great in his new role last year, and there's no reason to think he won't be anything but again this year. He is 38 years old though, so keep that in mind, as there is not alot of depth here beyond Woodson and Strong Safety Tyvon Branch. Projection: Charles Woodson, Tyvon Branch SPECIAL TEAMS: Janikowski is back and slimmer than ever, giving the Raiders two cannons in him and Punter Marquette King. Returner is undecided, though former Running Back turned Cornerback Taiwan Jones had gotten the most reps in OTA's. Projection: Sebastian Janikowski, Marquette King, Taiwan Jones
