Oakland Raiders 2013 NFL Draft Needs

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profilepic40880_1The Oakland Raiders level of need in the 2013 NFL Draft deeply depends on how you see the organization from last year. From the perspective of Oakland Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie, the team needs a character adjustment. That’s from the news that Mr. McKenzie wants to bring in what he calls “high character” guys.

Al Davis must be screaming from some place in Heaven.

That said, here are the selection places for the Oakland Raiders in the 2013 NFL Draft:

Round 1 3 3
Round 2 5 37 Cincinnati from Oakland
Round 3 4 66
Round 4 3 100
Round 5 5 131 Seattle from Oakland
Round 6 4 172
Round 6 8 176 Oakland from Arizona
Round 6 37 205 Compensatory
Round 7 3 209
Round 7 13 219 Arizona through Oakland from Carolina

Ok, assuming the Raiders don’t trade the 3rd pick with, say, The Atlanta Falcons, here’s what this blogger thinks the Raiders will do and what the Raiders should do:

Round 1, Pick 3: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida / should take Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama

The consensus is Floyd, and Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was reportedly the only NFL GM at his pro-day, which I don’t believe considering how highly ranked he is. Still, I’m not sold on taking a DT this high unless he’s someone like Nebraska’s Suh, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Alabama CB Dee Milliner’s a better choice, especially since the Raiders need a playmaking defensive back. If he’s there at 3, the Raiders should grab him, Dee ran a 4.31 40 with a torn labrum. Imagine what he would do with that repaired.

Round 3 Pick 4: Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford / Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford – If Chase’s there, I can’t see the Raiders passing on this Cardinal playmaker. On the other hand, if Stepfan Taylor is there, the Raiders should take him over anyone else. Taylor is the Cardinal career rushing leader with 4,212 yards on school-record 823 carries, and 39 rushing touchdowns, and 44 total TDs. Plus, he’s locally known – ticket seller.

Round 4 Pick 3: Tavarres King, WR / Tavarres King, WR – If you look back at Mr. King’s high school to college past, you find an amazing playmaker. That was also true at Georgia, where he averaged a school-record 22-yards a catch. His “skinny frame” can be overcome by a good physical training program, so that should not be a deal-breaker. Personally, he’s a steal at Round 4, if he’s there.

Beyond Round 5, it’s hard to determine what the Raiders will do, and it’s hard to determine with any certainty who will be around at that point in the draft. But the main focus for the Raiders will be to draft players with high character; my focus is to draft players that are playmakers; the whole concern about drafting “players with high character” comes with some implication that many of the NFL Draft players are of low character – this blogger does not believe that. The Raiders need playmakers – that should be the organization’s first focus.

Stay tuned.

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