Oakland Raiders Draft News
You're happy with your girlfriend. You like her, she likes you, everything's ok. But one day, as you're having a drink at your weekend bar, Anna Kournikova drops in. You notice her, but more importantly, she notices you. And who on this green earth could resist you? She asks you for a drink, and soon thereafter, she asks you on a date. Do you pull the trigger?
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It's late April, and the Raiders' brass has gathered around their war room as the NFL Draft kicks off. With their first 1st-round pick, they make a solid selection. Probably a defensive end. They watch the happenings of the draft and notice that, despite there being four 1st-round-talent running backs, there are only three teams likely to draft a running back. They are the Cowboys, the Patriots, and the Redskins. The Browns are not about to give up on last year's 1st round bust William Green, so they pass on a running back. Each of the three above-mentioned teams drafts their running back of the future. Now it's the Raiders pick. They have Charlie Garner, one of the top-10 all-around running backs in the game. He should be the starter for another year or two. They're happy with him. But there he sits, waiting to hear his name called - the Raiders franchise running back of the future. Do they pull the trigger?
One of these situations is likely to happen. So tuck option one up there in your "that would be cool" file and let's focus on the latter option. There are actually six college runners that, as of right now, carry potential 1st round grades. Willis McGahee of Miami, Lee Suggs or Virginia Tech, Larry Johnson of Penn State, Onterrio Smith of Oregon, and Chris Brown of Colorado could all find themselves a top-30 selection come April. More than likely only three or four of these will once injuries, slumps, and underclassmen returning for their senior year are all factored in. But what if? What if the Raiders find themselves in position to draft one of these studs?
They pull the trigger. The reasoning is simple. You draft a running back to take over Garner's spot in 2004. Garner is in his early 30s and who knows if he'll suddenly lose a little burst. Perhaps Garner will look for greener pastures that feed him more grass once his contract runs out. It's no secret Garner believes he can be a 25-carry running back while the Raiders think otherwise. So there are two reasons we may need a featured running back in two years.
Another reason is that the running back by committee approach is no longer as valuable as it once was. By next year, having a fresh rookie running back and two other players will be a cheaper and overall better option than still having Tyrone Wheatley, Terry Kirby, and Randy Jordan. Wheatley's the banger who, because of his multiple "mystery" injuries the last two years, lack of special teams play, and large contract, will probably be cut next year. Kirby is the aging special teams star and Jordan is the pass catcher. But if you can find one player to fill those three roles, it opens up two more roster spots to concentrate on defense or any other position of need. Madre Hill will also be looking at more playing time next year, so doing away with the current baggage at the position and reloading it with cheaper youth and future starters makes sense. The Raiders have always liked the 1-2 punch at the running back position. Charlie Garner seems to play well when he splits carries. These two things can be brought about by the drafting of one of the many talented backs next April.
-- Alex Chavez
