OMG BEST DRAFT EVER!!!!!!!!!111

I was looking forward to this year's draft, but also dreading it. Speculation was rampant on the interwebs, as it is every year. The 1, 2, and 3 picks were pretty much set in stone with Bradford, Suh, and Gerald McCoy. But after that, the choices of the remaining teams seemed pretty up in the air, possibilities abound. Some mock drafts had the Raiders not filling their most immediate needs at offensive and defensive tackle and instead going with the best talent available, like linebacker Ronaldo McClain or quarterback Jimmy Clausen. But the majority of the sports analysts out there seemed pretty sure that the Raiders would use the no. 8 overall pick on offensive tackle Bruce Campbell. Campbell has a lot of upside, and his stock was raised significantly with an incredible showing at this year's Combine. But on film, he ranged from mediocre to decent, and he didn't have many college accolades to bolster his case. He's a guy with a lot of raw talent and potential, but whether or not he can actually make use of them and become a capable starter is a huge question mark. Most rankings had him projected as a second-rounder at best. In other words, he was the perfect stereotypical Raider draft pick candidate: impressive numbers, not much else - a huge reach if taken in the first round. Also picking up steam in the Raiders rumor mill was Mike Iupati, an offensive guard projected as a mid-late first-rounder. Again, another reach if taken no. 8 overall. If the "insider" buzz held true, this was shaping up to be another wasted draft in typical Raiders fashion, like Darrius Heyward-Bey all over again.

4th pick: The Bucs select OT Trent Williams. Damn. I was hoping (but not expecting) that he'd fall to the Raiders. Russell Okung, the only other "sure thing" OT in this year's draft goes to Seattle with the 6th pick. So what offensive tackles are left at this point? There's Bryan Bulaga, originally projected by many to go in the top 6. The fact that he's still available could be seen as a good value, although a lot of teams were concerned about his arm length and overall ability to be a playmaker at the pro level. There's also Anthony Davis, who has some concerns about weight fluctuation and work ethic but still projected as an early-mid first-rounder. Oh, and Bruce Campbell. As far as defensive tackles go, Dan Williams is still available, another early-mid first-rounder. There are a few options for the Raiders at this point. If they want to fill the gaps at OT or DT, they might have to reach slightly. They'd get solid player, albeit not a guaranteed sure thing. Or they could go with a combine freak or whoever posted the fastest 40 time, as has come to be expected of Al Davis by now.

BUt then the Raiders defied all expectations and made a pick that actually made a surprising amount of sense: they went with the best player available - LB Rolando McClain. The LB spot wasn't their more glaring need, with Kirk Morisson still on the roster, and significant depth at the outside LB spots. But McClain is a player who not only possesses solid defensive skills, but the intelligence and awareness to be a genuine leader on the field. I haven't followed his college career, but he seems like he could be good for this team. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Other interesting happenings in the first round: Tim Tebow, of course. He was one of the best QBs in college history, but there are major concerns about whether or not he'll ever be able to perform at the pro level. He'll need a few years of work before he's ready to be an impact player, if at all. So Denver trading up to get him in the late first round instead of waiting for the second or third round is a huge gamble. If it pays off, then Josh McDaniels is a genius. If not, it's a wasted first-round pick. Even with all that, my pick for biggest first-round reach is the Jaguars passing up on Jimmy Clausen and Dan Williams and taking some DT I've never heard of with the 10th overall pick. Maybe they know something that no one else does, but it seems like a reach. They probably could've traded down if they really wanted him. San Diego moving all the way up from 28 to 12 was pretty interesting too. With the pick and all that they had to give up to move up that far, Ryan Matthews will have to be an immediate impact player for this move to pay off. I think he'll be fine, though. As far as players I'd originally been looking at as potential Raider picks: Anthony Davis ended up being picked by the 49ers at no. 11, Bryan Bulaga fell from the top ten to the Packers at no. 23, and Dan Williams somehow lasted until the Cardinals pick at no. 26.

In the second round... First off, let me say that I like the new format of the draft. By having the first round on one day and the second round on the next, it makes the second round seem significantly more important. Now teams can think about their first round pick(s) for a while and figure out what they really need next. More time for trades, more time for analysis. It makes the draft more interesting overall. But anyway... in the second round, the Raiders didn't pick up Bruce campbell as predicted, but instead got a solid DT, which takes care of their most glaring defensive need. The third round comes along, and Campbell is still available. While taking him in the first round would've been a huge reach, taking him in the third round doesn't sound so bad. Nevertheless, the Raiders pass on him again to take some other OT. Maybe the Raiders weren't sold on campbell after all. Oh well. But... and this is where it gets interesting... apparently, no other teams were sold on Campbell either, because by the time the second day was said and done, Bruce Campbell was still without a team. Finally, in the fourth round early on the third day, the Raiders picked Campbell. This way, now they have two rookie OTs to work with. I like the potential here. I don't know much about the rest of their picks, but most of them sound fairly decent.

Of course, the big news on day 3 had little to do with draft picks. In a manner fitting a draft that seemed to break from the traditional Al Davis bad decision mindset, the Raiders acquired longtime Washington Redskins starting QB Jason Campbell for a 2012 fourth-round draft pick. The Raiders already have four QBs on the roster, but they're all questionable as starters for 2010. Bruce Gradkowski played well in his starts last year, but he's hurt. Even when healthy, it remains to be seen if he's good enough to build an offense around. Charlie Frye is purely a backup. New acquisition Kyle Boller is a former starter who's fallen on hard times and was brought in as insurance for Gradkowski's recent pectoral tear. And then we have JaMarcus Russell. After being picked no. 1 overall three years ago, Russell finally started to show some improvement and promise at the end of the 2008 season. In 2009, he regressed to the point that capturing Ryan Leaf's "Biggest Draft Bust of All Time" title seems inevitable. Bringing in Campbell signifies that they're finally sick of Russell's poor work ethic and lousy quarterbacking. A release seems likely by the end of the week, primarily to avoid the possibility of having to pay him an extra $6.5 million for 2010. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing him stay with the team, but only as #4 on the depth chart, and only for the absolute minimum salary. My stance is that we've already invested tons of time and money in him, so I'd hate to see the Raiders cut him loose only to have him go on and find success with another team. Although right now, the notion of him having a fruitful NFL career no longer seems very likely. If the choice is between paying him a full salary and finally being rid of the burden he's placed on the team, I say cut him loose.

And that's the end of that chapter.

This could actually be an interesting team to watch this season. That'd be nice for a change...