Hunter21

The Oakland Raiders have made some pretty bad choices in the draft especially in recent years. Although Al Davis did acquire HOF bound WR Tim Brown, OL Steve Wisniewski, C Don Mosebar, DL Howie Long and RB Marcus Allen. However, there have also been many draft bust players such as QB Todd Marinovich, S Patrick Bates and OT Robert Gallery.

Top 10 worst draft selection since 1980

1) Patrick Bates, S Texas A&M 1993 size and speed, but yet he never was able to make any impact in the NFL and was a total draft bust)

2) Todd Marinovich, QB USC 1991 was to be the Raiders future QB, but failed to make it and ended up having a decent AFL career with the LA Avengers. Has had multiple run-ins with the law in regards to drug marijuana possession.

3) Rickey Dudley, TE Ohio State 1996 was envisoned to be a great recieving TE and had size and speed, but lacked good hands and never panned out with the Raiders or the Buccaneers.

4) Darrell Russell, DT USC had decent subpar seasons with the Raiders after making it to the pro bowl in 1998 1999 but never lived up to the hype of being the overall #2 pick. Was suspended by the NFL for repeated drug abuse and later was killed in a car accident.

5) Derrick Gibson, S Florida State 2001 just 2 picks later the Sliver and Black could have selected WR Reggie Wayne or TE Todd Heap. Only started half the 69 games he played and only registered 3 interceptions, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble recovery.

6) Robert Gallery, OT Iowa being the overall #2 pick he has finally began to show some promise but after 3 years he was consistently being beat by faster DE's and was only until this season that he moved to LG and had a decent contribution.

7) Marc Wilson, QB BYU he was the one who paved the way for Jim McMahon, Steve Young, and Ty Detmer to be successful in which head coach LeVell Edwards implemented a system where the QB's was given 5 recievers to pass on a given play. Although Wilson was part of 2 superbowls. He was enthroned to take over for Jim Plunkett but was out of the league by 1988. Threw for 14,391yds 86tds and 102 interception. Led the New England Patriots to a 1-15record.

8) Tedd Watts, CB Texas Tech 1981 just one pick later was DB Hanford Dixon who played in 3 probowls with the Browns while Watts had a decent rookie year but only managed 5 career interceptions.

9) Bob Buczkowski, DE Pittsburgh possibly the biggest draft bust he only managed to play 2 games with the Raiders and had a 1.5 sacks for his short lived NFL career.

10) Matt Stinchcomb, OT Georgia the fact that Jon Jansen and Luke Petitgout were still available is mindboggling and after 7 seasons he ended up retiring and had the size and agility to anchor the O-line for at least 10 years. His younger brother has had a better career thus far.

honarable mention: Fabian Washington, Phillip Buchanon, Chester McGlockton, Michael Huff

Top ten best draft selection since 1980

10) Don Mosebar, C USC 1983 went to the pro bowl 3 times and his NFL career was cut short by an eye injury. Was an All-pro in 1991.

9) Napoleon Kaufman, RB Washington only played 5 seasons with the Raiders but he ran for over 4,972yds with a 5.8avg per carry and retired abrubtly to pursue a career as a minister.

8) Greg Townsend, DE TCU recorded over 109.5sacks and was selected to 2 pro bowls and was a 4-time All-pro selection.

7) Sean Jones, DT Northwestern although he only played 3 seasons with the Raiders and ended up having a great career with the Houston Oilers and registered 113sacks and made a probowl appearance in 1993 and was a 2-time all-pro.

6) Bo Jackson, RB Auburn although orginally a overall #1 pick by Tampa Bay he opted to play baseball for the Kansas City Royals. While shring the ball with Marcus Allen he ran for 2,782yds and 12tds and pummeled Brian Bosworth and ran for 221yds in a game. His career was cut short by a hip injury, but he had a lasting impact with the Raiders. He is considered one of the best 2 sport athletes.

5) Howie Long, DT Villanova HOF defensive linemen registered 91.5sacks and was on the 80's all decade team and was an 8-time pro bowl player as well as a 6-time all pro selection.

4) Charles Woodson, CB Michigan former Heisman Trophy Winner had a great season with the Green Bay Packers and is considered the top shut down corner in the NFL. Has recorded over 595tckls and 29int. Has been to 4 pro bowls and is a 3time all-pro selection. Still considered an elite corner and dangerous punt returner.

3) Steve Wisniewski, OL is an 8-time pro bowler and was named to the all 90's decade team. he was known for being a dirty player but he solidified the O-line for 12 seasons.

2) Marcus Allen, RB USC 1982 Rushed for over 12,243yds and was the 1st player to rush over 10,000yds and have more than 5,000 recieving yards in a career. Scored 123tds and won the NFL MVP in 1985. Was a 6-time probowl selection & 5-time all-pro selection and was admitted to the HOF in 2000. Ran a then record 191yds in the Superbowl against the Redskins.

1) Tim Brown, WR Notre Dame was the 1st WR to win a Heiman Trophy and leads every major career receiving record for the Raiders and caught 1,094receptions for 14,934yds and 100tds. Was selected to 9 probowls and 7 all-pro and was voted on the 90's all decade team.

 Honorable mention: Nnamdi Asomugha, Sebastian Janikowski, Terry McDaniel, Matt Millen, Raghib Ismail, Greg Biekert, Barrett Robbins, Jon Ritchie, Jerry Porter.

The NFL draft will be held next weekend and it seems that the Miami Dolphins have already determined who they will take as their number 1 overall pick and there are plenty of teams who are willing to trade up in this year's draft.

#1 Miami Dolphins, Jake Long, OT Michigan 6-7 315pds (has good size and techinque and with Vernon Carey at the tackle position they can now solidfy their offensive line in order to protect QB John Beck)

#2 St. Louis Rams, Vernon Gholston, DE Ohio State 6-3 266pds (has good speed and can be a hybrid DE/LB, the Rams need to rebuild their defensive line and paired with Adam Carriker, they should be a killer tandem)

#3 Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan, QB  Boston College 6-4 211pds (Joey Harrington is clearly not the future of this franchise and with the recent signing of FA Michael Turner, Darren McFadden is no longer an option.)

#4 Oakland Raiders, Chris Long, DE Virginia 6-3 272pds (Al Davis loves speed and will possibly trade down, if RB Darren McFadden is still available at number 6 or 7.) Trade w/ Jets

#5 Kansas City Chiefs, Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU 6-1 297pds (If Jared Allen leaves, this will be a no brainer pick, could have been the overall number one pick if it weren't for his history with injuries)

#6 NY Jets, Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas 6-1 211pds (could potentially trade up with the Raiders for their 4th pick and possibly give up a 3rd rnd pick in order to take DE's Long or Gholston due to the vacancy that John Abraham left a couple of years ago.)

#7 New England Patriots (via 49ers) Aqib Talib, CB Kansas 6-1 205pds (with Asante Samuel leaving to the Eagles, this pick will ease the loss of their once franchise corner)

#8 Baltimore Ravens Branden Albert, OG Virginia 6-6 309pds (with the retirement of Steve McNair, now Kyle Boller heads in this season as their #1 QB and the Ravens must shore up the offensive line in order to protect him and to open up holes for RB Willis McGahee)

#9 Cincinnati Bengals Sedric Ellis, DT USC 6-0 309pds (The Bengals were just dead awful on defense and will be looking for Ellis to help stop against the run.)

#10 New Orleans Saints Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy 5-10 186 (Alot of analyst have LB Keith Rivers as their selection, but having already on their roster LB's Dan Morgan and Jonathan Vilma does not make any sense in taking Rivers)

#11 Buffalo Bills, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB Tennessee St. 6-1 180pds  (need secondary help especially after the loss of Nate Clements last year)

#12 Denver Broncos, Ryan Clady, OT Boise St. 6-6 320pds (will be able to win the LT position and help protect Jay Cutler)

#13 Carolina Panther, Keith Rivers, LB USC 6-3 237pds (with him falling out of the top 10 he is a draft steal and has enough talent to eventually start by the of the regualr season)

#14 Chicago Bears, Rashard Mendenhall, RB 5-10 225pds (Cedric Benson has shown that he can't carry the load by himself as the featured back and the Bears need to establish a running game as well as providing insurance if Benson gets injured again.)

#15 Detroit Lions, Derrick Harvey, DE Florida 6-4 271pds (With the loss of DE Kalimba Edwards and trading away DT Shaun Rogers to the Browns, the Lions have enough offensive weapons and need help on defense)

#16 Arizona Cardinals Fred Davis, TE USC 6-4 250 pds (Leonard Pope is not a great recieving TE and QB Matt Leinart can definetly use another weapon to spread down the field. Although he had a bad NFL combine he has a slight edge over Dustin Keller.)

#17 Minnesota Vikings Philip Merling, DE Clemson, 6-4 270pds (with DE Kenechi Udeze out while recovering from leukemia, they need depth on the D-line.

#18 Houston Texans Mike Jenkins, CB South Florida, 5-11 200pds (facing Peyton Manning twice a year, they need all the secondary help they can get)

#19 Philadelphia Eagles Jeff Otah, OT Pittsburgh 6-6 339pds (will provide excellent depth for Jon Runyan and will be the future OT for Donovan McNabb)

#20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers DeSean Jackson, WR Cal 5-9 169pds (has blazing speed and will be able to be a factor on special teams returns)

#21 Washington Redskins Kenny Phillips, FS Miami 6-2 212pds (Looking to replace the loss of Sean Taylor)

#22 Dallas Cowboys Felix Jones, RB Arkansas 5-10 207pds (Need depth at runningback since Julius Jones signed with the Seahawks)

#23 Pittsburgh Steelers Sam Baker, OT USC 6-5 312pds (Losing Alan Faneca from the offensive line was a huge loss and hopefully Baker can help rebuild the O-line)

#24 Tennessee Titans Lawrence Jackson, DE USC 6-5 268pds (DE Jevon Kearse is not the player he once was and he can serve as a mentor to Jackson)

#25 Seattle Seahawks Devin Thomas, WR Michigan St. 6-2 215pds (They need a big play reciever to compliment Deion Branch and the other recieving corps)

#26 Jacksonville Jaguars Calais Campbell, DE Miami 6-9 290pds (need replacements after the loss of Marcus Stroud and Bobby McCray)

#27 San Diego Chargers Jonathan Stewart, RB Oregon 5-10 235pds (need a backup for LaDanian Tomilison due to the fact that Michael Turner left via FA)

#28 Dallas Cowboys Linas Sweed, WR Texas 6-5 219pds (Terry Glenn is showing some signs of aging)

#29 San Francisco 49ers Chris Williams, OT 6-6 317pds Vanderbilt (biggest steal in the 1st round, and he will provide blindside help for Alex Smith)

#30 Green Bay Packers Dustin Keller, TE Purdue 6-2 242pds (wll give Aaron Rodgers a deep threat receiving TE and will provide depth for Donald Lee)

 #31 New Patriots forfeited

#32 New York Giants Jerod Mayo, MLB Tennessee 6-1 242pds (are reloading in order to repeat another Superbowl title)

There is no question that the North Carolina Tar Heels would not be in the Elite 8 if it were not for Tyler Hansbrough who is a beast around the basket. He is a finalist for the Wooden Award which is given to the best player in college basketball. Although the real question is whether he is able to make the next transition into the NBA? Many scouts believe he is simply a bigger Mark Madsen (Timberwolves) in that he lacks athleticism and is too slow to play at the next level. I would have to agree in that good techinque could only take you so far and that speed and natural talent is where the big boys play (NBA). I really don't think that Tyler has what it takes to compete in the next level and a once promising top 10 selection is now falling fast toward the 2nd round of the 2008 NBA draft.

 Players like Kevin Love UCLA Bruins and Michael Beasley Kansas State will be shoe-ins for a lottery selection, as well as fellow teammate Tywon Lawson whose draft stock is soaring. Unfortunately, for Tyler Hansbrough he will be riding the bench if he is selected by a NBA team who is willing to take a chance on a player that has limited offensive skills and his defense is subpar. He should defintely consider going to Europe to develop his game and make a name for himself overseas. Furthermore, staying in the states will not allow him to potentially blossom because his competition will be either in the NBDL or practice games. I wouldn't be suprised if he did not get drafted at all because looking at his stats from this year, against good quality teams he hs been limited to less than 20points.

11/14/07 vs. Davidson  14pts 14rebs 2to

11/28/07 vs. Ohio State 13pts 11rebs 1to

12/01/07 vs. Kentucky 14pts 11rebs 2to

1/19/08 vs. Maryland 17pts 14rebs 2to (lost)

1/31/08 vs. Boston College 18pts 6rebs 3to

3/08/08 vs. Duke 16pts 15rebs 1to (8 for 21 from the field)

1/06/08 vs. Clemson 12pts 14rebs 1to (42min and was limited to only 3 baskets)

In addition, Tyler Hansbrough has shot 6-14fg & 6-15fg from the field in the last 2 games in the NCAA Tournament.

At this point of his career, he should consider the fact that his role will greatly diminsh in the professional league and must realize that he could utilize his skills to be a role player similar to Slava Medvednko (Laker