I'm on record as saying the Raiders will draft running back Darren McFadden with the fourth-overall pick, and I'm always right, so it's with much skepticism that I read that the former Arkansas star won't be Oakland's guy. The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald makes a good case (again) for why the team will pass on McFadden and it comes down to this: yes, the Raiders love guys with big-play ability, but recent history suggests they love drafting for need too. Sebastian Janiskowski was an odd pick if for no other reason than he was a kicker taken 17th overall, but the Raiders really needed kicker.
Same with safety Michael Huff in 2006 and Robert Gallery in 2004. (Although, as McDonald writes, the team really wanted wideout Roy Williams, so drafting for need kinda blew up in their face on that one. Hey, it happens.)
The point: with the team re-upping Justin Fargas, and Michael Bush still in the mix, taking McFadden doesn't make much sense, even for the Raiders. Or maybe not:
The Raiders were sixth in the NFL in rushing and gave up 100-yard games to 10 different backs. The practical thing to do is work on the defense, not add another back.You know, I want to believe McDonald, but, well, Al Davis just won't let me.
I'll admit I've talked to some people who really know Davis who think McFadden will be irresistable. But the bottom line is I think Davis is more practical than you think.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-23-2008 @ 9:16PM
Spoonman said...
That Raiders blog doesn't make much sense, or at least when it tries to apply logic to the choices of Al Davis. They have a horrid run defense, Sapp retired, and they sign a guy coming off an ACL injury to stuff up the middle. So, logically, they should be looking at defensive tackles, but instead they trade for D. Hall. Not to mention their division is not full of pass happy offenses. Actually, neither KC, SD, or Denver have more than one really good pass threat.
So Al Davis isn't logically going to think he should improve his run defense or maybe his offensive line, he is going to get the running back that ran 4.33 whether he needs him or not. (D. Hall situation repeating itself). They already spent plenty of money on their defense, which wasn't half bad last year. I'm sure it was to set up the drafting of McFadden.
You know, or not. It's Al Davis. I'd be surprised if even he knew what he was about to do.
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4-23-2008 @ 9:35PM
caveman943 said...
Who is McDonald kidding, Darren McFadden is a game breaker. He hung 200 on Florida in the 2006 SEC championship game, and over 200 on LSU in the last game of his reg season.Both Florida and LSU were national champs. When your putting points on the board it sure makes a difference in how they plays. If they make a stop and go 3 and out, they get tired of that. I watched him shred the finest defenses in the country for 3 yrs and Arkansas had some pretty bad defenses, but played above their heads when McFadden was ripping up the other guys defense.
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4-23-2008 @ 10:59PM
icemandg said...
Heres the deal....Fargas,Bush, Jordan,Rhodes are fine backs but....none of them are Darren McFadden. Look at all the money they spent on defense in the off season. Wilson,Hall,Kelly, not to mention Sands last year. They need to protect Jamarcus Russell and the best protection they can give Russell aside from Jake Long is McFadden. McFadden will force defenses to play honest and that in turn will open up passing lanes for Russell. Its NO BRAINER....Darren McFadden is the logical pick for the Raiders .hands down.
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4-23-2008 @ 11:19PM
George B Vieto said...
If Darren McFadden does go to the Oakland Raiders wouldn't the Raiders slogan be "Ain't no stopping us now?"
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4-24-2008 @ 1:48AM
DChosen1 said...
they need to draft chris long
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4-24-2008 @ 1:51PM
jshanahan said...
When was the LAST time the Raiders made a logical draft pick? Jamarcus Russell? Me thinkest not.
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4-24-2008 @ 2:24PM
Derrick Thompson said...
I really wouldn't mind to see the Raiders draft McFadden, but with so many other glaring needs and so many other quality running backs on the roster it would only make since to draft McFadden if they can trade away Jordan or Rhodes before the draft to try to aquire a 2nd or 3rd round pick. If they draft McFadden in the 1st, they don't get another pick until the 4th round and they also need major help at wide out, DL, and OL.
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4-24-2008 @ 5:41PM
stanfordfan said...
Dysfunctional Al has led the Raiders to the lowest winning percentage of any professional franchise in the four major sports during the past five years. Four different coaches and no general manager, but it's never Dysfunctional Al's fault. His draft insights are pretty good in the lower rounds, but he has consistently screwed up the first round picks - with few exceptions. The Raiders have a crying need for a run stopper, a pass rusher, and a left tackle. They don't need a running back. Let's watch Dysfunctional Al in action on Saturday to see how he addresses his team's needs. I'm hoping he trades down and drafts Sedrick Ellis and a quality left tackle. But I'm betting he picks McFadden and then tells Kiffin that he has given him ALL the pieces for a playoff-caliber season. Let's see just how dysfunctional he has become.
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