Recapping the Raiders Draft

The picks:

Round One: Fabian Washington, CB Nebraska
Round Two: Stanford Routt, CB Houston
Round Three (1): Andrew Walker, QB, Arizona State
Round Three (2): Kirk Morrison, ILB, San Diego State

The Judgement:

Hmm. Only one linebacker in four picks. I guess we won't see much of the 3-4 next year. Fabian Washington is one of the fastest players in this year's draft class. Davis loves speed, and Washington should combine it with enough technique to push for a starting role this season. Stanford Routt is another matter. Even if the Raiders were in love with him, they could have waited a round or two (or three) for him. He has the speed, I'm told, but not as much experience or skill at the position. I'd have preferred a LB pick here, but I don't make the big money.

Andrew Walker is a prototypical pocket passer of the sort that Norv Turner prefers. After looking over his strengths and weaknesses, I have to say that he has a lot of Collins's advantages, and several of Collins's problems. We'll see if the Raiders' quarterbacks coach can burn that out of him. I doubt he'll push Collins or Tui this year, but he's an intriguing guy and the Raiders needed a #3 quarterback. Kirk Morrison is an interesting prospect. He's a smart player who tackles well, but is a little undersized and an unspectacular athlete. With luck, he'll develop into a Teddy Bruschi type.

Frankly, I'd hoped for more this year, but in a way I already got it. Our 1st Round 7th Overall pick was, after all, Randy Moss.