In hearing about the death of Sean Taylor, I thought back to the 2004 draft and the possibility of Taylor being a Raider.

The following column ran on April, 21, 2004 but still applies with regard to problems the Raiders have had at safety without a physical playmaker in the Taylor mold on the back end:

REVERSING A 4-12 season for the Oakland Raiders isn’t going to happen with calm, rational analysis and filling an obvious need.

The move which would make the Raiders a team to be feared is to strike with swift malevolence and take Miami safety Sean Taylor with the second pick in the NFL draft.

No deals, no waiting around for the clock to wind down. Al Davis should send Taylor’s name to Paul Tagliabue the moment the commissioner says “the Oakland Raiders are on the clock.”

Having spent much of the offseason rebuilding their woeful defense, the Raiders are expected to address offensive deficiencies with their reward for being so terrible in 2003.

A new wide receiver such as Texas’ Roy Williams or Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald to allow Jerry Rice and Tim Brown to consider the notion of retirement and busts in Canton, Ohio.

A left tackle in Iowa’s Robert Gallery to anchor the offensive line like Art Shell for the next decade.

The Raiders could trade down and take Oregon State’s Steven Jackson to become the workhorse running back essential to a Norv Turner offense.

Davis could even opt for the second coming of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow and use Doug Jolley and Teyo Johnson as trade bait for additonal picks.

Or how about Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger to some day take over for Rich Gannon?

Offense is the common sense move, but takes time to develop. Turner’s system will look much better in 2005 than it will in 2004.

Defense is the quickest route back to prominence, and can be turned around in one offseason.

The Raiders under Joe Bugel had the NFL’s worst defense in the last time they went 4-12 in 1997, finishing last against the run and last against the pass.

Oakland signed Eric Allen, drafted Charles Woodson, added a few smart veterans and moved all the way up to eighth in defense the following year under new coach Jon Gruden and coordinator Willie Shaw.

Taylor could be a punishing exclamation point on an offseason that has included the acquisitions of tackles Ted Washington and Warren Sapp, linebackers Dewayne Rudd and Danny Clark and cornerbacks Ray Buchanan, Denard Walker and Jacoby Shephard.

New coordinator Rob Ryan already has Woodson enthused with complicated mixes of 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, enabling pass rushers to come from different angles while offensive lines struggle with the dilemma of whether to double-team Washington, Sapp, or John Parrella.

Linebackers Napoleon Harris and Travian Smith may do more attacking in Week 1 than the did by midseason in 2003.

What Oakland needs is an enforcer on its last line of defense, someone who has a feel and instinct for the game. A player who can come into the box and clean up on running plays. Flatten receivers over the middle. Play center field on balls in the air. Charge the middle or the edge as a blitzer.

In all those areas, there’s a lot to like about Taylor.

Taylor, at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, has the cover skill of a cornerback and is the biggest hitter in college football. He intercepted 14 passes in 34 games and returned them for an average of 21.9 yards.

Even the nit-picking scouting reports available from several different talent evaluators are hardpressed to come up with hard evidence why Taylor won’t have a sudden impact on Sundays the moment he steps on the field.

If Rod Woodson returns from knee surgery, Taylor steps in alongside him at strong safety. If not, Taylor is the free safety.

Close your eyes and imagine Oakland choking off the run on first down. A dizzying array of blitzes and combinations brings pressure on second- and third-and-long. The quarterback, forced to release the ball early, puts it up for grabs into a secondary including Charles Woodson, Taylor and Phillip Buchanon.

The Raiders defense could go from moribund to dominant and explosive. The kind of defense that not only forces turnovers but scores touchdowns in the process.

Taylor’s skills aren’t restricted to defense. He is an adept kick-blocker who could be put to good use by Joe Avezzano, whose job it is to surround punter Shane Lechler and kicker Sebastian Janikowski with improved coverage and break Buchanon on a big returns.

None of the offensive players Oakland is considering would have such an impact on two units.

About the only constant criticism of Taylor is he sometimes rubs teammates the wrong way for being too outspoken when they don’t perform. Conicidentally, many 49ers teammates felt the same way about Ronnie Lott, and it isn’t as if the Raiders couldn’t use someone to get in Buchanon’s face when he decides to take off his helmet at th worst possible time.

History says teams don’t use the second pick on a safety. It’s only happened once, when Cleveland took Eric Turner in 1991.

Oakland has used a first-round pick on a safety just three times, correctly selecting Jack Tatum in 1971 but whiffing on Patrick Bates in 1993. Most recently, Davis opted for Derrick Gibson in 2001 while the consensus in the draft room was that Arizona State tight end Todd Heap was a better choice.

Gibson has been injury prone and spotty, neither flop nor force.

Davis has a Taylor-made chance to get this one right

Note: If anyone can remember who Jacoby Shephard is, let me know . . .