in NFL Articles

Rumblings have been heard that the NFL draft. This is a last-minute plea for the Raiders to not make the same crucial mistake that they have made the last few years: pick a quarterback, already!!!

In this draft, most prognosticators have LSU’s JaMarcus Russell listed as the top quarterback prospect. They point to the six-foot-five, 255-pounder’s dimensions, along with his arm strength, but doubters mention his lack of physical conditioning and question his desire to be the best he can be.

The majority of those doubters have Brady Quinn of New England Patriots offensive coordinator and present Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.

A nightmarish 2-14 record this past season displayed many glaring holes on this Oakland team, and word has it that they may actually go in a direction other than quarterback with the first selection.

Atlanta Falcons team that had a 1000-yard rusher at quarterback. That fact has helped lobby calls for Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech, the top wide receiver and the player most consider the best in the draft.

Since the 2002 season in which the Raiders reached the Super Bowl, their NFL drafts have been absolute horror shows. Pick a quarterback already, Oakland!

In the 2003 draft, they selected cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and defensive end Tyler Brayton with the last selections in the first round. Brayton has done nothing, and although Asomugha has played well, he has not been better than Chicago’s Charles Tillman or Jacksonville’s Rashean Mathis, both picked less than ten spots afterwards. They could have had guard Eric Steinbach, receiver Anquan Boldin, defensive end Osi Umenyiora or linebacker Lance Briggs.

And then they started passing on quarterbacks.

With the 2004 draft, they selected offensive tackle Robert Gallery with the second overall selection, passing on Phillip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. That will go down as one of the worst choices in draft history.

In 2005, with Oakland having the 23rd selection in the first round, they picked cornerback Fabian Washington over Washington’s Jason Campbell. Then they passed on Cleveland’s Charlie Frye before selecting Andrew Walter at quarterback; Campbell and Frye are both present starters, and Rodgers is waiting for Brett Favre to retire. Walter showed last season that he is not Oakland’s answer.

And then there is last year’s draft, when Oakland chose safety Michael Huff with the seventh overall pick. The Raiders preferred to go with 30-year old Aaron Brooks at quarterback instead of selecting Denver’s Jay Cutler with the first round pick. Tavaris Jackson of Minnesota was chosen in the second round, and he now starts, along with Leinhart and Cutler.

So please accept this plea, Oakland Raiders, and pick a quarterback on Saturday, already!

All NFL props.