Edweirdo's Oakland Raiders Report

Raiders 2004 Draft Report Card: B+

Update 2005/04/28: the 2004 draft class was a stellar one. Gallery was an excellent 15-game starter at RT, and Grove stepped in at RG halfway through the season and was very solid. FS Schweigert played well enough to start several games late in the season, and he showed the range and instincts that made him effective in college. TE Anderson was another 7th round gem for the Raiders. He not only made the team, but earned the starting role ahead of Jolley and Johnson and showed both strong receiving skills and blocking ability. 3 or 4 of those players should start in 2005. In addition, undrafted FA DT Tommy Kelly showed impressive ability to get to the QB. He picked up a sack or got QB pressure in every game he played in. Grade in hindsight: A

There are 2 philosophies about making a draft pick: going with the best available player (value) vs picking to fill a need.

I've graded each of the Raiders picks for

1. VALUE: was the pick a good value or a reach? Graded from A-F. I give an "A" for value if the player is BPA and a "B" the player is a solid value. E.g. Wilfork@#21 is an A, WR Evans @#13 a B-, CB Carroll@#25 a C-. Hey, it's all relative and subjective.
2. FIT: based on the schemes we'll use, does this player make sense? Graded A-F.
3. NEED ADDRESSED: Graded "yes", "not really", or "no"

My take on our needs (in order of priority): WR FS RB QB OT NT ILB

Heights and weights per the Combine.

1st round (#2 overall): LT ROBERT GALLERY 6-7 323 (value: A, fit: A, need addressed: yes)

I'll be the 1st to admit I didn't want us to draft him. I wanted a "sexier" pick. But, in retrospect, not only was it a wise choice, it was the right one. We're going back to old-school Raiders football under Turner: pound the football + stretch the field in the passing game. And do to that, you need someone who kicks ass at the crucial LT position. LT Sims was considered under-rated, but even since his game in MIA in 2002, he has had some struggles. With Gallery on board, we now have depth at the critical OT position. Gallery is nasty, hard-working, durable, possesses leadership, technically sound, and a superb athlete. He was widely regarded as THE best prospect in this talent-loaded draft. LOVE THE PICK!

2nd round (#45 overall): C JAKE GROVE 6-3 303 (value: A-, fit: A-, need addressed: ?)

Some interesting news came out from Turner after Grove's pick; Robbins had an "unusual" surgery recently (what the heck does that mean Norv?). Robbins, after years of representing the Silver & Black proudly in the trenches, has had a lot of issues over the past year and a half (not worth belaboring here). And he's not young. Enter Jake Grove. A versatile interior OL who has seen action at both G and C. Nasty, physical, smart leader to captain the OL. He may start as a rookie, if he shows enough during camp. Rated as the #1 C in the draft and considered as good as CLE's 2003 1st rounder Jeff Faine, who started and had a solid year.

3rd round (#67 overall): FS STUART SCHWEIGERT 6-2 218 (value: B, fit: B+, need addressed: yes)

Stu was a ballhawk and leader for the Purdue defense. He broke Rod Woodson's INT record with 17 picks. Good at making reads. Instinctive. Smart. Excellent athlete. At the Combine, stood out among DBs with excellent speed (4.45 40) and quickness (3.89 shuttle). Had some drinking-related issues, but I think it was a college thing. The real concern is around his tackling technique, or lack thereof. He tends to dive-tackle instead of wrapping-up. I watched him dive-tackle and miss in the Senior Bowl, and it was ugly. If he can be coached out of that poor technique, he'll be a very good starting FS. Ryan will run an aggressive defense with our front 7 and bump-n-run with our CBs, which will mean our safeties must be able to read and cover a ton of ground. Stu a good fit for that. Probably won't start as a rookie, unless Rod Woodson can't play. At the least he is going to give our ST coverage some serious ooomph!

5th round (#134 overall): WR JOHNNIE MORANT 6-4 229 (value: A-, fit: B-, need addressed: yes)

Here's a guy, like Doug Gabriel last year, who was projected to go in the 3rd round. Towering WR and a terrific athlete (4.54 40, 41" vertical) who is a boom or bust pick. Average change-of-direction for a WR. Inconsistency is the thing that stands out about him. According to Kiper, dominated like a 1st rounder at times. Makes some acrobatic catches. But drops catchable balls, loses focus, and has some attitude problems. I'm hoping Brown and Rice can knock some sense into this kid. A worthwhile gamble in the 5th round

7th round (#245 overall): TE COURTNEY ANDERSON 6-6 269 (value: B, fit: B, need addressed: no)

Pick with intriguing size. We typically carry 3 TEs on our roster, and as things look right now, those spots are filled (Doug Jolley, Teyo Johnson, Roland Williams)