T-Dubb said:
PHOENIX (March 27, 2007) -- No one knows for sure what the Oakland Raiders will do with the first overall pick. But Raiders coach Lane Kiffin and owner Al Davis provided two hints Tuesday, one more revealing than the other.
Over breakfast, after stating how honest he was, Kiffin was asked to honestly assess whether he expected the Raiders to use the No. 1 pick or trade it.
Kiffin said the Raiders would do whatever was best for their team -- how's that for an honest and clichéd answer? -- and then, sarcastically, added this gem: "If we do pick there, we'll pick a guy on offense or defense."
So that eliminates Colorado kicker Mason Crosby.
The Raiders might find it hard to pass on JaMarcus Russell as their top pick.
Davis, on the other hand, was more far revealing. When discussing LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, whom many expect to be the No. 1 overall pick, Davis compared him to Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.
Davis said Russell's arm strength is like Elway's, and so is his side-to-side movement.
And to this day, Davis still is miffed that he failed to land Elway when he thought he had struck a deal with the Baltimore Colts. Davis recalled Tuesday to a small group of reporters that, back in 1983, the deal to acquire Elway was just about done.
The Raiders were going to send quarterback Marc Wilson and two No. 1 picks to the Colts for Elway. The Raiders were going to have their quarterback for the next decade. Davis said he thought the deal was agreed to.
And then according to Davis, the NFL -- which was annoyed at him for getting ready to move his franchise back to Los Angeles -- stepped in and somehow blocked the trade. Davis struggled to recall the exact details Tuesday, but he did remember, rather clearly, that he didn't get the quarterback he wanted.
This year, he has a chance to remedy that. By no means does this assure that the Raiders are going to draft Russell at No. 1. But for anyone looking for the strongest hint to date as to what the Raiders would do with the top pick got it Tuesday.
It's going to be hard for Davis to pass up a quarterback that reminds him of Elway.
this is from Adam Schefter at nfl.com
looks like Al likes Russell, so Russell it will be
lol Al Davis still bitching about a move that went down like 2 decades ago! ha ha ha ha! Al Davis doesnt have a eye for talent for shit!
All Scrubs!! LOL and i think what makes these picks worse is all the talent they passed up! lol
2006
1. Michael Huff, S, Texas
2. Thomas Howard, LB, Texas-El Paso
3. Paul McQuistan, OL, Weber State
4. Darnell Bing, S, USC
6. Kevin Boothe, OL, Cornell
7a. Chris Morris, C, Michigan State
7b. Kevin McMahan, WR, Maine
2005
1. Fabian Washington, CB, Nebraska
2. Stanford Routt, CB, Houston
3a. Andrew Walter, QB, Arizona State
3b. Kirk Morrison, LB, San Diego State
6a. Anttaj Hawthorne, DT, Wisconsin
6b. Ryan Riddle, LB, California
6c. Pete McMahon, OT, Iowa
2004
1. Robert Gallery, OT, Iowa 2nd overall
2. Jake Grove, C, Virginia Tech
3. Stuart Schweigert, S, Purdue
4. Carlos Francis, WR, Texas Tech
5. Johnnie Morant, WR, Syracuse
6A. Shawn Johnson, DE, Delaware
6B. Cody Spencer, LB, North Texas
7A. Courtney Anderson, TE, San Jose State
The Raiders chose Iowa tackle Robert Gallery with the 2nd overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
2003
1A. Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, California
1B. Tyler Brayton, DE, Colorado
2. Teyo Johnson, TE, Stanford
3A. Sam Williams, DE, Fresno State
3B. Justin Fargas, RB, USC
4. Shurron Pierson, LB, South Florida
5. Doug Gabriel, WR, Central Florida
6. Dustin Rykert, T, BYU
7A. Sideeq Shabazz, S, New Mexico State
7B. Ryan Hoag, WR Gustavus Adolphus
2002
1A. Phillip Buchanon, CB, Miami, Fla.
1B. Napoleon Harris, LB, Northwestern
2A. Langston Walker, OL, California
2B. Doug Jolley, TE, BYU
5. Kenyon Coleman, DE, UCLA
6A. Keyon Nash, DB, Albany State (Ga.)
6B. Larry Ned, RB, San Diego State
7. Ronald Curry, QB, North Carolina
2001
1. Derrick Gibson, S, Florida State
2. Marques Tuiasosopo, QB Washington
3. DeLawrence Grant, DE, Oregon State
5. Raymond Perryman, S, Northern Arizona
6. Chris Cooper, DE, Nebraska-Omaha
7A. Derek Combs, RB, Ohio State
7B. Ken-Yon Rambo, WR, Ohio State