FanHouse

FanHouse is officially on record as having the Raiders draft Darren McFadden with the fourth-overall pick. And when FanHouse goes on record, it's a done deal. (Want proof? Last year, FanHouse mock draft correctly predicted SIX of the first 32 picks. Convinced? Thought so.)

Today, the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald makes the case for Oakland taking McFadden, echoing many of the thoughts I expressed last week, as well as adding a few nuggets that make a lot of sense, especially given the Al Davis-inspired Raiders' draft strategy:

At the NFL owner's meetings, Lane Kiffin seemed to shoot down the idea of McFadden coming to Oakland, noting a position group already stocked with Justin Fargas, Michael Bush and Dominic Rhodes.

There's a few problems with that line of thinking, assuming it's not a typical draft smoke screen. Fargas' running style makes him an injury risk with every carry. No one really has any idea how good Bush is after a badly broken leg and two years away from real contact. As for Rhodes, he had to take a pay cut to stay with the team so someone apparently told him his chances of landing somewhere else weren't good. So how much can you really expect?

Despite three -- and possibly four -- competent backs currently on the roster, there's always room for somebody like McFadden. I mentioned it earlier, but the Vikings made it work with Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson. I imagine the Raiders could too.

McDonald also writes that McFadden would be the most talented back to come to Oakland since Bo Jackson, but with better hands. Wow. And perhaps most importantly, McDonald points out that Kiffin can say whatever he wants about the team's draft needs, but ultimately, it comes down to Davis. And if Davis thinks McFadden's the quickest way to help Oakland turn things around, I'm guessing he'll take him. Even with the fourth-overall pick.