Al Arrives for Saturday Draft

After the rather sensible First Round pick of Rolando McClain, and subsequent need+value picks Lamarr Houston and Jared Veldheer, speculation centered around whether Al had been led to believe that this year's draft would start on Saturday as in years past. Many of us had images of an angry Al Davis banging on a locked door with his cane as Bruce Campbell was passed up at pick #8.

Apparently Al has arrived for Saturday. Here are the Raiders' first three picks of the day:

Round 4, #106: Bruce Campbell, OT Maryland. The first Saturday pick is the one everyone thought Al would pick first.

Round 4, #108: Jacoby Ford, WR Clemson. The Raiders trade up aggressively - moving Captain Kirk - to get the fastest player in the draft, who ran a 4.28 at the combine.

Round 5, #138: Walter McFadden, CB Auburn. We just can't go a draft without picking a corner.

These three picks are classic Al. But it's almost like we got the first three picks for free this year. And with the possibility that JaMarcus's days are done, I'm beside myself with glee over this year's draft.

Nicely done, Al.

Rolando McClain, FTW

And the pick is...

ROLANDO MCCLAIN!

Finally. A real pick. A legitimate player I thought was awesome when I saw him play this year.

Any Guesses?

This room is leaning towards Rolando McClain or Mike Iupati. With the top six out of the way, all the no-brainers are gone. Now it gets crazy. We also realized that three of us copied the same mock drafts because we all read the same blogs. So Jimmy Clausen is consensus #7 in this room, but he may very well pull an Aaron Rodgers and put a lot of points on our boards.

Just don't pick Bruce Campbell.

Draft Pool

I'm at the Hauenstein House in San Carlos, and just filled out a mock draft for a draft pool, relying heavily on David White's and Jerry McDonald's mock drafts.

Instead of giving Brad Webster $5, I should have just lighted it on fire.

Anyway, should be fun. I decided NOT to rock my JaMarcus jersey, head hanging in shame, instead opting for a Guinness t-shirt the Professor bought me 8 years ago in Dublin.

More 3-4 Speculation

I mentioned the obvious after the Kamerion Wimbley trade. According to Bill Williamson, today's Quentin Groves trade offers more evidence that they may be heading in the direction of a 3-4 defense.

If that's the case, do we go ILB with Rolando McClain or find a real NT to anchor the line? Turns out that's what Paul Gutierrez has on his mind, as well.

Guessing Game

There's nothing like the spectacle of the NFL Draft to bring Raiders dysfunction into full view. None of the last six top picks by the Raiders has made a Pro Bowl. JaMarcus is using his girth to shove Ryan Leaf aside in the history books. Last year's DHB pick was a stereotyper's dream. So who will it be this year?

I don't have a clue. And I am not even sure who I'd like them to pick. Maybe a big OT like Trent Williams. Maybe a big DT like Dan Williams. Perhaps a stout DE like Derrick Morgan. Maybe an MLB like Rolando McClain. I wouldn't even mind a relative stereotype in CB Joe Haden.

As for guessing who the pick will be? Let's do a bit of cheating:

Per Jerry, Vegas is betting on workout warrior Bruce Campbell. Mel Kiper calls him the most overrated player in the draft, which increases the odds that it will be him.

Todd McShay calls Taylor Mays the most overrated. He ran a 4.43 40 and is a defensive back. I like his chances.

If we stick to 40 times, somebody named Jacoby Ford ran a 4.28. Nice.

Two days until we find out how Al will surprise us next.

Being Talked into It

It has taken some time to recover from the first day of the draft, and that has nothing to do with this. Possibly the nicest part of the Raiders' sensible offseason had been the lack of negative attention from the media. Poof.

I was also personally disappointed that I had both guessed wrong and argued wrong, not that I expected any different. But in that argument I suggested that the Raiders might change their ways and trade down. I'm now convinced that their reaches, despite being highly stereotypical, in fact do signify a change in their ways. I argued that the Raiders had not reached with any of their top ten picks in recent years. Huff? Not a reach. Gallery? Not a reach. JaMarcus? McFadden? Randy Moss? Not reaches.

Yet the Raiders have been burned. So this year it was pundits be damned, we will target guys we want. Heyward-Bey should go at #25? Too bad, we don't have the 25th pick, we have the 7th.

So I've talked myself into it. We won't know the results for several years. But the real shift going on with the Raiders is beginning to show after the first day of minicamp. Cable is assembling a team of character guys. Hard workers. Phil Barber calls DHB, "Funny, down-to-earth, honest and confident without coming off as cocky." As Dave, a coworker and loyal CLOAK reader pointed out today, one would be more apt to describe the pick we were supposed to make, Michael Crabtree, as a "diva." (Great DHB quote from Barber, by the way...)

The best surprise of the day was the arrival of Fresno State Bulldog Lorenzo Neal, one of the great lead blockers in NFL history and clearly a leader figure for Cable's new look team. Jerry captures a great quote here, including this:

"It’s not just what you bring on the field but what you bring off the field, the intangibles and say, ‘Hey, look, guys, I’m going to be here on Tuesday watching film on my off day.’ It’s getting in the weight room working out, showing the guys, this is what has allowed me to play 17 years."

See for yourself. Neal's passion is tangible starting at about 1:28 of this clip from NBC Bay Area. Before they get to him, though, there are sound bites from DHB and Mike Mitchell - and of course Nnamdi - all of which have me convinced. It's still been a very good offseason.

Counting Down to Heyward-Bey

Thus far, the National Football Post is 4-for-4 in their final mock draft. And of course, they say the Raiders will pass on Cadillac Eugene Monroe and TD machine Michael Crabtree to select Darrius Heyward-Bey.

I guess we'll find out soon enough.