Olympic Sprinter Usain Bolt!

Crazy Al: "What do you mean I can't draft him!?!?! Screw you Goodell!!! Somebody get me a projector, some graphs and a lawyer!!!"

Mizzou WR Jeremy Maclin

mushin with the pick...

But seriously, the only thing that is consistent about Al Davis is his infatuation with speed , and Maclin has that in aces. There aren't many teams that have more holes than the Raiders, and WR is definitely one of those needs. They have a young QB with a cannon for an arm, and no one to throw the ball to. Zach Morris was a nice surprise, but he doesn’t stretch the field like Al wants to see. Oakland’s biggest concern coming into the offseason was their offensive and defensive lines. They managed to address some of their O-line concerns by signing tackle Khalif Barnes, who can play either RT or LT. They also have a young tackle Mario Henderson who some Raider fans feel is at least serviceable. The top three tackles are already gone though, so Raiders fans will get to see just how serviceable Henderson is. 

The Raiders could easily go DE here also. Some great draft stats compiled by WalterFootball.com (http://www.walterfootball.com/nfldraftraiders.php) show that Al has drafted more DE’s in the first 3 rounds than any other position, followed by RB and CB. Orakapo or Michael Johnson could definitely be in play here. But in the end, like a drunken gypsy, Al will ignore good sense, his coaches and reality in an attempt to get his Mr. Burns like claws around the shiniest thing he can see.

This isn’t to say that Maclin won’t make a good NFL player. He will instantly upgrade the Raiders WR corps which right now consists of Higgins, Walker and Lelie. The leading WR on Oakland (Higgins) had 22 receptions for 366 total yards last year. Oakland desperately needs to get their young QB a target, and stop teams from putting 10 in the box to stop their stable of RB’s. Maclin at Missouri showed that he had the speed to loosen up defenses and the moves to make things happen once the ball was in his hands. He is a play maker. Whether it be catching the ball (1260 yds in 08), rushing the ball (293 yds in 08), or on kick returns (1010 yds 1 TD in 08) Maclin is a dynamic player that has homerun capability every time he touches the ball. Most of you watched a lot of Mizzou football over the last two years so you know what I’m talking about. For those who haven’t here’s the highlights:

The biggest knock on Maclin is his size, route running and the fact that he played in the spread offense. He weighed in at the combine at 198lbs, which still puts him 30lbs heavier than Desean Jackson was. And as for route running, this kid is young in football years. He redshirted his freshman year due to an ACL tear. He played just two full seasons of college football before foregoing his senior year to enter the draft. It’s easy to see why he is so rough around the edges. But all those physical skills make up for it. With the exception of size, there isn’t one of his perceived weaknesses that can’t be corrected by coaching. Too bad for him he’ll end up on the Raiders and wash out of football after 3 years.

Previous pick: OT Andre Smith

Read more: Scouting Report (Mocking the Draft)

On the clock for tomorrow: Jacksonville Jaguars (DThomasReigns) and the Green Bay Packers (JasonM)

Click over for the schedule and the current draft results.

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This is exactly the type of player Al Davis would draft. And this is why the Raiders will never be relevant again.