Draft review: 2003
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, April 21st, 2007 at 12:03 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Ninth in a series reviewing Raiders’ draft classes since they returned to Oakland in 1995:
1/31_Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, California
1/32_Tyler Brayton, DE, Colorado
2/63_Teyo Johnson, TE Stanford
3/83_Sam Williams, LB, Fresno State
3/96_Justin Fargas, RB, Southern California
4/129_Shurron Pierson, DE, South Florida
5/167_Doug Gabriel, WR, Central Florida
6/204_Dustin Rykert, T, Brigham Young
7/246_Siddeeq Shabazz, SS, New Mexico State
7/262_Ryan Hoag, WR, Gustavus Adolphus
The top pick_It took awhile, but Asomugha blossomed in 2006 with eight interceptions after getting none in his previous 47 games. Give Davis credit for this one, because many teams were stunned he took Asomugha that high. Brayton, the other first-round pick, was part of the Jon Gruden deal. Brayton’s work ethic and motor are unquestioned, but he has not seized the position at either end or linebacker, where he was miscast for a time in a 3-4 scheme. Brayton was seem taking some snaps at tackle during a recent voluntary minicamp.
Could have had_Cincinnati took G Eric Steinbach out of Iowa one choice after Brayton. Steinbach, one of the leagues better guards, signed a multi-million dollar contract with Cleveland. Arizona got WR Anquan Boldin in the second round with the 54th overall pick.
Seconding the notion_For the second straight year, the Raiders take a smallish, athletic, receiving tight end in the second round. Like Doug Jolley, Stanford’s Johnson is no longer with the team. Johnson never hits it off with coach Norv Turner.
Patience pays off_Many fans would have had no problems cutting ties with Williams and Fargas before the 2006 season because of injury problems. Williams, who the Raiders moved up to to get, played in 15 games last season with 44 tackles and six assists. Fargas was the Raiders’ leading rusher with 659 yards.
Draft bargains_Gabriel was dealt to New England before the 2006 season in an inexplicable deal just as he ascended to the starting lineup with Jerry Porter in Art Shell’s dog house. The Raiders claimed him after the Patriots cut him in-season. He has 101 career receptions for 1,550 yards and eight touchdowns for his career _ excellent numbers for a fifth-round pick.
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April 21st, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Cuzin’Vinnie - ESPN.com
April 21st, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Gabriel got us his 5th round pick back. Brayton is one those guys you want on your team but don’t know what to do with him.
This draft is an improvement over the 2-3 under Gruden and it sheds some light on how Gruden was a good coah who lacked an eye for talent. I can understand Al passing on Heap when Gruden wanted him, two seasons after Gruden wanted Dudley.
Since Rob Ryan got involved, we’ve had some solid defensive drafts. Hopefully Kiffins experience will get us some solid offensive players.
Steinbach is injured right now and isn’t a stud or anything. Not much of a “could’ve had”.
April 21st, 2007 at 12:29 pm
RAIDERS CUT BADGER AND JOHNSTONE FROM ESPN
New Raiders coach Lane Kiffin made his first major decisions as head coach Friday when he cut veterans Brad Badger and Lance Johnstone.
Badger, a guard, and Johnstone, a defensive end, have been valuable backups on the team for the past couple of years. Badger has been able to back up at guard along with being a candidate to fill in at tackle when needed. Johnstone has been a third-down pass-rusher and a backup defensive end.
Age was obviously a factor in Kiffin’s decision. Johnstone is 33. Badger is 32. Their releases save the Raiders approximately $1.6 million.
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The youth movement continues. May shed some light on why we haven’t gone after older vets during FA. Kiffin looks to be trying to build a young offense to go with that young defense. More indication of a couple of things:
April 21st, 2007 at 12:35 pm
1 - CJ is a viable option if we are looking at long-term.
2 - Moss is getting older and will likely be gone
3 - We may stay away from vet QB’s like Culpepper, especially with injury issues
4 - We will be drafting at least a couple DL with our multiple pcks.
5 - There will be growing pains but we will be competitive long-term. Gruden did the quick ffix old vet route but now that they’re gone we are back to square one. All the dynasties of the FA era were built through the draft with a couple FA’s here and there. SF, Dallas, NE.
The futures so bright I gotta wear shades.
April 21st, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Saving money, baby!!!
April 21st, 2007 at 12:42 pm
When Doug Gabriel was traded to the Patriots, that was very puzzling to say the least. I thought he was going to be the third receiver. When he became available after being cut in season, it was good he was picked up. Gabriel has the makings to be a very good, possession receiver (and possibly as starter in a Moss-less configuration).
April 21st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I take CJ #1, and use the other 9 picks on o-line and defense. Maybe we only need to draft 1-2 o-linemen. We need DT, DE and OLB. Our defense is good. Let’s make it great. If our o-line can be average, we have the talent on offense to compete. Pair that with a tenacious defense and we could be playoff bound. The key is Cable turning our duds into studs with his cut blocking scheme.
April 21st, 2007 at 1:16 pm
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April 21st, 2007 at 1:42 pm
I paid 39.95 for garbage info. Don’t make the same mistake.
April 21st, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I agree. Great teams have great D’s. As much hype as Joe Montana got (deserved hype) people forget the 9ers drafted a batch of DB’s (like we’ve done) that really got things rolling.
If Ryan tracks down another stud rookie LB for the 3rd season in a row, we could have the best back 7 in the NFL by next year. Great D, short, safe passing and solid running is a tried and true formula in the NFL.
April 21st, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Coach on Wheels….You are right about the 9ers during those years of winning they had defenses always in the top ten in over all defense…I, also like you think we have a defense maybe one stud player away from being a great defense …..just a solid offense to go with that would go a long way….Of course the goal should be greatness on both sides.
April 21st, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I wonder if Tyler Brayton can catch. Line him up at TE see what happens so we can stop wasting draft picks on tight ends.
April 21st, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Read em and weep boys.
CAM INMAN: TIMES COLUMNIST
Advice to Davis: Take elite QB
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched: 04/21/2007 03:04:44 AM PDT
What kind of impression did Raiders boss Al Davis make on Russell during their recent sit-down? “He’s a great guy. He told me some history of himself and things he’d been through,” Russell said Friday on NFL Network. “He’s a real big fan of mine. To go in and play for him would be a lot of fun.”
April 21st, 2007 at 4:48 pm
“Some have raised questions concerning how swiftly Russell will be able to fit into an NFL offense. Kiffin, however, said it would be unfair to Russell to hold that Brady Quinn of Notre Dame is more NFL-ready than the LSU giant.
“Watch LSU film and you will see that he (Russell) did a lot of stuff,” Kiffin said. “Their playbook is really big.”
April 21st, 2007 at 5:08 pm
It will be really sad if we take a player that does not fit the system we run. JR is that player. Take note of Belicheck and NE. They continually draft and plug guys that fit their system…and win.
Why run a hybrid WCO and draft a guy #1 who doesn’t fit into that style offense? Silly, whether its JR or anyone else for that matter.
April 21st, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Draft JR and we will continue to suck. Any chance Al will croak before the draft?
April 21st, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Case in point, NE trades for Gabriel, one of our top 4 WR’s. Gabriel gets cut because he can’t beat out Gaffney or Caldwell? Now he is back on Oakland. Why can NE make scrubs work to the tune of an AFC Championship Game appearance? Because they find retreads that fit their system, while we’ll dump $60M into a guy who by all accounts needs to sit a year or two to determine if he can play in the big leagues.
April 21st, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Good stuff as always Jerry…
http://mvn.com/nfl-raiders/
April 21st, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Chances are good we won’t even have the first pick overall. TB really wants CJ. I’ll take all there picks and Simeon Rice. We can either draft Quinn at #4 or one of the many talented young pups in the later rounds. Walter is going to be our starter this season regardless, and it looks like Rattay will be our veteran backup.
April 21st, 2007 at 8:07 pm
We’re drafting Calvin Johnson #1 and keeping him !! No way we trade down to #4.
April 21st, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Hey, stop spamming jerry’s blog with the spam.
April 21st, 2007 at 10:52 pm
hey i just walked out of the grand canyon again and i read what you guys are saying, huh. 49ers era? they drafted one guy, Lott and defragggalo bought the rest prior to free agency era. the patriots? haven’t figured out who they sold their soul to other than jerry coleman. Al has drafted DB’s and OL’s consistently for decades. good theory. doesn”t always pan out. i’ve been wishing for a n RB for twenty years. if not get a damned QB somehow! i believe Walter could be an excellent QB but Kiffen has to have faith in him. likewise JR. I believe JR could be fine and not the Leaf thing, nor the Couch thing nor the Mirer/Quinn thing. CJ could be the next MJ of the NFL but i have as yet seen in 50 yrs that a wide receiver has won a championship by himself. an RB yes. a QB yes. give me a Jim Brown over a paul warfield anyday’
April 21st, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Coach on Wheels, let us get the team to a higher point than it was when Gruden was here before we claim that Kiffin is a better scout of talent than Jon Gruden, or that even Al Davis is, for that matter. We’re coming off 4 last place, disaster seasons, and there’s no way that even more than 10% of it could be the fault of Gruden’s drafting. Gruden has not been involved with one single decision, including draft picks , free agency, or cap room, for this team since 2001; That’s 6 years ago. A mighty long time. Are you ever going to just face up to the fact that Al Davis is a bad owner, who’s meddling has been the downfall of this franchise? Or are you going to continue to reach deep into the barrel and blame the likes of coaches who haven’t been here in nearly a decade to avoid blaming Al?
Truth be told, I HOPE Lane Kiffin is a better scout of talent than Jon Gruden. I also hope he’s at least as good of a coach, because Gruden is a damned good one. I already know Kiffin’s a better scout of talent than Al Davis because the cheerleaders are better scouts of talent than Al Davis, these days. But, let’s face it, this franchise is yet to muster up any kind of winning identity since losing Super Bowl 37. And, considering Callahan’s free fall in 2003, we’re yet to replace Gruden as a head coach. Have we finally done it? That will be only determined with a couple of back to back division titles, not complimentary write ups of Kiffin by loyal fans, the same write ups Shell and Norv Turner received when they were first hired.
If fan optimism won games, every team would be 16-0.
April 21st, 2007 at 11:14 pm
I always find it cool that we basically rented Doug to the Patriots for a fifth rounder. Hilarious!
http://www.theautumnwind.com/
April 21st, 2007 at 11:32 pm
If we pass on a QB in the first or early rounds for that matter, what do you guys think of Jared Zabransky of Boise St. as a SLEEPER Qb? I think he’s worth the risk.
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:29 am
Brayton, Williams, Fargas, all busts.
Fart-gas is too dainty and runs like a scaulded ape, runs too high, which causes injury and turn over problems.
Sidelined nearly as much, Williams was a new breed of fast, athletic linebackers. Spent more time in the jacuzzi than the field.
May have been upright most of last season, but with the aquisition of tackling machines Kirik Morrison and Thomas Howard, Williams shot at a starting gig looks bleak.
Especially considering Howard’s physical attributes mirror Williams, barring injury he’ll be used as a reliever or back up at most.
Brayton has tons of physical talent but given the time hes spent in the league and the opportunitys presented, the only thing hes proven is hes not smart enough to compete in the NFL.
Time and time again, hes too slow to locate the ball, takes bad angles and fails to wrap.
Oakland would likely be better served by a someone else in his stead.
Anyone.
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:04 am
I said I hope Kiffin’s knowledge of the college ranks helps us draft-wise. Gruden wasn’t dum by any means BUT he was better at spotting vets who could contribute (Gannon, Garner, Rice, etc..) than he was at getting draft picks (Tui, Dudlet etc…). His track record in TB holds this theory. Since the SB (with Dungy’s talent) have they made the playoffs?
I know Oakland’s defensive picks have improved since Ryan came along and I’m hoping Kiffin can help our O.
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:16 am
Marcus - sorry but you’re wrong about how the 49ers built their dynasty. After drafting Montana in the third round (like Walter) in 1979 they built an offense and then in 1981-
“With the offense in good shape, Walsh and the 49ers focused on overhauling the defense in 1981. Walsh took the highly unusual step of overhauling his entire secondary with rookies and untested players, bringing on board Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson and giving Dwight Hicks a prominent role.”
Three rookies in the secondary. Lott (#8 overall) Wright was the second round pick. After they won a couple SBs they got into the FA Dieon Sanders bit with Dallas. The fact is the team we loathed across the bay was built through the draft with young players and a few ket free agents.
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:24 am
West Coast offense with 1st time head coach - check
3rd round QB nobody thinks is good enough with two weak seasons under his belt - check
Young SS taken in top 10 of draft - check
young secondary - check
pass rush specialist like Fred Dean - check (Burgess)
Vet leader with attitude like Hacksaw - check (Sapp)
Young WR with great character who can turn short passes into big plays - hmmm… (ok so Rice came later)
Agile, cut blocking scheme devised by McKittrick - check
Can’t wait
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:31 am
Sorry left out Williamson.
In 1981 49ers draft - 1 - Lott 2 - Eric Wright 3 - Calrton Williamson. Dwight Hicks a former CFL guy got to start and made the pro bowl in 1981. He may have tired from partying after the 9ers won their first Super Bowl of five.
April 22nd, 2007 at 4:06 am
Walter as starter!!
Now i’ve seen some posts about rattay as our backup, i’ve been hoping for this since the first Carr rumour. But where is the proof, i cant see anywhere that we hired Tim Rattay. Please post the url, if you see it anywhere.
I say we trade down, gather more picks, and with our 1st rounde, pick 4-6 overall we take Amobi Okoye. He is our next Sapp, he is not going to be a starter this year - so he has one year to learn from sapp. 2008 we cut sapp, freeing a bunch of money and look after a future franchise QB.
I believe the QB class next year is way better than this years.
April 22nd, 2007 at 4:23 am
Great read on the Davis & Nolan comparison. This is a crtical draft for the futher of raider and I hope we can get 5 or 6 great player who will contribute for years to come. We need to look at who are the most succefull teams in the modern area of salary caps. N. E. & S.D. have done the best. NE does it buy using role players. SD does it buy trading down in the draft and finding great players at a better value. I hope we pick CJ and trade down . Moss need to go for what ever we can get for him (draft picks). We could end up with mabey 13 or 14 pick then we could use those picks to trade up or dowd and cherry pick the draft . With Kiffin knowlage of the talent avable we could fill alots needs. Alan Branch needs to be a Raider!!!
April 22nd, 2007 at 6:46 am
CT-Raider
New England puts a premium on drafting linemen. They want to dominate the line on both sides of the ball. NFL is pretty simple really. Dominate the line and you have a very good chance of winning. They also understand what players fit into their schemes and how to put them in winning situations.
They also have a guy named Brady. I know everyone wants to crown Coach B as the greatest ever but look at all the teams he has coached (including the Browns) they are basically all the same. All very solid defensively but the only thing that makes Coach B great is Brady. Think about every NE team that has won the SB. You take Brady off that team and they don’t even make it to a single SB.
April 22nd, 2007 at 2:03 pm
The SF Chronicle article today quoted an “anyonomous Raider official” about not trading down and then went on to say Oakland has never traded down…. They forgot to mention that we have not drafted a skill offensive position in the first round in how many years?! I am not sure which outlet is worse the Chronicle or ESPN et al. No wonder Al does not speak to the press.
Here’s some questions for the genius at the SF Paper 1. Was there really an official or were you embelishing your story? Do you think it might be a possibility the official fed you that as a posturing position for ongoing trade talks because Profootball talk is saying Oakland is getting flooded with calls? My guess is that Oakland is still up in the air waiting for the best opportunity and I am glad for it rather than locking in on one thing.
I am really glad for some outlets like Jerry’s that have some understanding of the real situation in Oakland!
April 22nd, 2007 at 3:56 pm
***News Alert….Raider Faithful***
This just in…from ESPN’s Matt Mosley (Hope its not the truth)
“Regarding your Raiders question, a club source told me Thursday that the team hasn’t narrowed it down to LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell and Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. That said, I still think they’ll take Russell. What they’re hoping is that Tampa Bay is so desperate for Johnson that it’s willing to trade up for him.”
__________________________________________________
What is everybody’s input on this supposed fact from a Raider official???
April 22nd, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Gee I wonder if it is the same phantom “Raider Official” (”club source”) that “talked” to the chronicle. I wonder if Matt and the Chronicle reporter had imaginary friends as children. Of all places to talk to I guess the Raiders because they are so partial to ESPN and the Chronicle (LOL) let them in on the little secret. Give me a break!
I bet the Raiders that are actually working on this just crack up at this stuff.
April 22nd, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Having made my editorial comment about the sources. I do think the Raiders are not set but I do not think it is between JR and Johnson and a trade. I think and hope that it is between Johnson and a trade. I believe that not because of my “source” but because JR has way to many question marks to be paying out 29 million dollars to! Secondly Johnson is a notch above everyone else but WR is not a Raider need so they are lukewarm to drafting him. I think they would prefer a trade but because they will probably trade or release Moss and Porter is in the last year of a contract they may take Johnson as a long-term fixture for the Raiders. JR is a huge gamble. If the Raiders could get to 4 spot they could take Peterson or BQ or maybe even JR there if they wanted (I know I wouldn’t).
Here is my guess after researching this some
1. CJ to Atlanta from Oakland (Oakland gets #8 + 2 2nd round + a fourth maybe more I do not think it will eqaul the Parcell chart though)
2. Thomas to Detriot (no one wants to trade up since CJ off board and Detriot has good RB’s too many “franchise WR’s” arelady and is scared of a QB bust like Harrington again
3. Clevland takes JR (they will spin this as wow he fell to us how stupid can the Raiders be and first they let Leinhart go now they let JR go oh wow the Raiders are just so stupid…)
4. Tampa Bay will take Gaines Adams if they can not make a trade happen with Oakland or someone else if Oakland gets this spot they will take Peterson or BQ depending on how high Kiffen really is on BQ
5. Cardinals will take Landry
6. Washington will trade pick for another vetearn (like Briggs LOL) or picks whoever gets this this will swope in and take BQ or Peterson
7. Minnesota may take Oyke not sure
8. If Oakland holds here the may take Levi the OT or they may trade down again and target Lynch
I am done I really don’t care who Maimi takes…
While this may be a really stupid Mock draft, I think it has a chance as being as accurate as any of the other ones as I really believe both TB and Atlanta want CJ bad and I also believe that Detroit really wants to tade down or get Thomas or both.