Draft Day Two

Three More Picks, all in the sixth round:

Anttaj Hawthorne DT, Wisconsin
Ryan Riddle, DE/LB, Cal
Pete McMahon, OT, Iowa

Anttaj Hawthorne was projected as a late 1st/early 2nd round pick by most analysts. When he slipped as far as the 6th round, the Raiders traded up to get a hold of him. He looks a bit like Ted Washington, Jr, only with a bigger initial burst. Word is that his recent penchant for weed is the reason he slipped. Now, honestly, I don't care if a player likes to smoke ten pounds of weed and fuck twenty prostitutes a night as long as he's ready to destroy the opposition on Sunday; but I don't want any four game suspensions from this guy. Fortunately, he'll be getting sixth round money. If he fails, it won't cost us much; if he succeeds, it'll be another great late round pick from the team that brought us Rod Coleman and Ronald Curry.

Ryan Riddle is a late blooming prospect with a lot of talent. In college he had mixed feelings about football, and for a while persued a film major, but his junior college coach coaxed him onto the field and he impressed enough to earn a scholarship to Cal. There, he was impressive, showing good tackling skills and an ability to work in space. This should make him valuable in 3-4 setups and in 4-3 zone blitz packages. Here's hoping Davis can keep him away from the William Morris Agency.

Pete McMahon is our second tackle acquisition from Iowa in as many years. While I doubt he'll ever achieve what Robert Gallery will, one never really knows about these things. He should be able to contribute on special teams and, possibly, move inside to guard when the need arises.

It's in the late rounds of the NFL draft that a team's scouts really make their money. It's easy to draft highly touted early round talent. It's down here where a smart team can find the great player no one else knows about. The Raiders in particular tend to love their first rounders (whether acquired through the draft or through free agency), but in recent years they've gotten great production from players who were drafted much lower and with much less fanfare. Consider that the best Raider quarterback in the last twenty years was a 4th round pick of the New England Patriots. Stuart Schweigert, picked in the 3rd round last year, will most likely start at free safety this year, and Courtney Anderson, a 7th Round Raider pick, will compete for a starting job at tight end this season.