Edweirdo's Oakland Raiders Report

Raiders 2005 Draft Report Card: B (A- including Moss)

SUMMARY: the Raiders followed up a great foray in free agency with a solid draft. They did not consistently get great value with their draft picks like they did in the 2004 draft, but they did draft talented players. If you factor in the trade of the #7 overall pick and LB Napolean Harris for WR Randy Moss, the overall draft grade is an A-, because Moss is a top 5 player in the entire NFL.

I've graded each of the Raiders picks for

1. Value: was the pick a good value or a reach? Graded A-F. I give an "A" grade if the player is BPA (Best Player Available) and a "B" if the player is a solid value. E.g. Aaron Rodgers@#24 is an A+ (he was projected to go top 10), DE Shawn Merriman@#12 is a B, WR Troy Williamson@#7 is a C. This is subjective and based on draft boards from The Huddle Report, Great Blue North, GM Jr, NFL Draft Scout, and Mel Kiper, and on my 2 cents from watching some of them play. Keep in mind the following:
   • Most draft purists argue that value is the most important aspect when drafting a player. People often look at the draft as a shopping list of needs, but the danger with drafting players based on need is that you often pass up far better football players. The teams that tend to have good young talent are those that consistently draft for value (e.g. the Ravens and the Steelers). The Raiders savvily addressed their biggest needs in free agency (RB with Jordan, WR with Porter and Moss, DE with Burgess, CB with Hill), so that they could focus on picking players they rated the highest, regardless of position. Jon Kingdon, the director of college scouting for the Raiders, said that the Raiders have always tried to go with the best player available
   • The Raiders have their own system from evaluating players, whereas many NFL teams share scouting resources such as BLESTO and National. So the Raiders take on a given player may differ from the mainstream
2. Physique: does the player have the ideal NFL size/build for his position? Graded A-F.
3. Football Ability: is this guy instinctive, consistent, smart? Does he have good technique? Does he make plays? Graded A-F.
4. Athletic Ability: is he fast, agile, strong, flexible, etc. Basically this rates the player's performance in measurable tests. Graded A-F.
5. Character/Injury Risk?: is this guy a character risk? And/or has he had durability issues or injuries that will affect his NFL career?

My take on our needs (in order of priority): LB DT DE RB QB CB

Heights and weights per the Combine.

1st round (#23 overall): CB FABIAN WASHINGTON

Value: B- | Physique: B- (5-11 188) | Football Ability: B | Athletic Ability: A+ | Character/Injury Risk: no

Washington is regarded as a solid football player with unbelievable athletic ability. He ran a blistering 4.29 40, posted a superb 41.5" vertical, and did 18 reps of 225 at the NFL Combine. The Raiders traded up from #26 to #23 to grab him, but I think the Raiders could have stayed put at #26 and still gotten him, as the Packers were probably going to take QB Aaron Rodgers as Favre's heir (which they did) and the Skins were rumored to want QB Jason Campbell (and they took him). This is not a Phillip Buchanon clone; Washington is a good team guy

2nd round (#38 overall): CB STANFORD ROUTT

Value: D | Physique: B+ (6-1 193) | Football Ability: D+ | Athletic Ability: A | Character/Injury Risk: no

This pick was a significant reach in terms of value. Why? Routt probably would not have been drafted until the 3rd or 4th round because of the number of good CBs in this draft. Routt's football skills are raw; he was a 2-sport (track and football) athlete in college. Routt, like Washington, had a big performance at the Combine (4.35 40, 3.92 shuttle, and an insane 6.64 3-cone). The Raiders have taken on many projects in the past, and he looks like another one. Will he pan out? I have no idea. I have to admit I went a bit ballistic when the Raiders took him that high. It will take at least a year or two of solid coaching to get this guy ready to contribute on defense. Until then, he'll be playing primarily on special teams. But he has size and athletic ability that can't be taught

Update 2005/04/28: Word has come out that the Broncos were targeting both Fabian Washington AND Stanford Routt, so the Raiders beat them to the punch. Shows what I know :)

Update 2005/08/07: I heard Routt was blanketing receivers at the post-draft minicamp. At training camp, he has been working with the first-team defense as the nickel back and has looked sharp. It looks like I may be eating major crow here :)

3rd round (#69 overall): QB ANDREW WALTER

Value: B+ | Physique: A (6-6 233) | Football Ability: B+ | Athletic Ability: C- | Character/Injury Risk: no

Walter is the ideal QB for the vertical game (Coryell offense). He sees the field well and has good accuracy, a strong arm, and a quick release. He was projected as a low 1st rounder or early 2nd rounder until he separated his shoulder in his last game as a senior and had to have surgery. But he was able to throw effectively enough at a recent workout to convince the Raiders that he won't be a medical risk. When Walter's on his game, he has good throwing mechanics and can rip a defense to shreds. The knocks on him? He isn't particularly mobile, and sometimes he makes poor decisions under pressure. Overall, an excellent pick by the Raiders, and one that makes sense given the type of offense Norv and Al favor.

3rd round (#78 overall): LB KIRK MORRISON

Value: B- | Physique: B (6-1 237) | Football Ability: A | Athletic Ability: B- | Character/Injury Risk: absolutely no

Without a doubt, my FAVORITE pick of our draft. I was surprised the Raiders took him, as he is slightly undersized for the position and not particularly athletic. He was a tackling machine at SD State. He has excellent instincts, plays smart, takes good angles, wraps up when tackling, and hustles on every snap. He makes plays all over the field and plays faster than his 40 time (4.72) because he reads and reacts quickly. He played MLB in college but proved at the Senior Bowl that he can play OLB (see highlight video). After watching his Senior Bowl performance, Morrison was one of the top 3 guys I was hoping that the Raiders would draft. This is the kind of smart quality FOOTBALL player that the Patriots have done very well with. DC Rob Ryan must be thrilled to have him on board after spending a week with him at the Senior Bowl. As a comparison, former Raiders's LB Napoleon Harris was a physical specimen but lacked instincts for the position. Morrison has the head to play LB and the heart to compete. The Oakland native will play for the team he grew up rooting for. I LOVE THE PICK!

6th round (#175 overall): DT ANTTAJ HAWTHORNE

Value: A+ | Physique: A (6-3 323) | Football Ability: B+ | Athletic Ability: B- | Character/Injury Risk: yes

With Hawthorne the Raiders got a 1st round talent in the 6th round. Hawthorne is one of those rare beefy DTs who can play the run AND get to the QB. He has an excellent first step, can anchor against double teams, and plays with good leverage. I thought he had the best performance of any DT at the Senior Bowl. So what happened to Hawthorne? He tested positive for marijuana at the Combine. On top of that, his play can be inconsistent (which is why I rated his football ability a B+ instead of an A), and some question his work ethic (he put up a below-average 21 reps of 225 at the Combine). All that aside, this was an incredible steal for the Raiders. Last year the Raiders signed DT Tommy Kelly as an undrafted FA. Now the Raiders have a young DT with terrific size to go with Kelly.

6th round (#212 overall): DE RYAN RIDDLE

Value: B+ | Physique: C (6-2 255) | Football Ability: B+ | Athletic Ability: B- | Character/Injury Risk: no

He was the Cal Bears' Defensive MVP with 14.5 sacks and an All-American. The Raiders may look to use him at 4-3 RDE as well as a stand-up 3-4 OLB.

6th round (#214 overall): OG/OT PETE MCMAHON

Value: B+ | Physique: A (6-8 329) | Football Ability: C+ | Athletic Ability: C- | Character/Injury Risk: no

McMahon joins former Iowa team mate Gallery as a member of the Raiders OL. McMahon was rated by both The Sporting News and Mel Kiper as a top 10 OT. He has started at both OG and OT, which is versatility the Raiders love.

Reader Comments

If you have feedback / comments for this article, email me at edweirdosraiders@gmail.com. I may add them to this page.

Lester Stick'em (2005/06/02): I agree with most of your assessment in the 2005 draft grades. But dangit, I never again want to hear Al Davis or anyone in the Raiders organization say they go after the "best player available" with every pick/ draft. A borderline retarded capuchin monkey could see Aaron Rodgers was the BPA at #23.

Not to say Rodgers would be a better fit than Andrew Walter for Turner's offense, but let's be serious, he was on every major board the BPA, and plays the most highly valued position to boot. Fabian Washington was drafted to fill a need--the need at CB created when Tulip Buchanon was traded--not because he was anywhere near the BPA.

And Stanford Routt is a better player than Matt Roth??? I didn't even realize the University of Houston had a football team (and I was born in Houston). Somebody is ready for the puzzle factory...

Ok, am better now that I relieved myself. The rest of the draft (round 3 and on) actually did turn out splendedly...