When the Oakland Raiders selected Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, those of us in the know thought, 'Are you kidding me?' By many accounts, passing over Michael Crabtree was not the best move. When the team selected Michael Mitchell in the second round, those of us in the know thought, 'Who?' That includes ESPN, who didn't have any tape on the biggest perceived reach of the draft.
By the time we got to the sixth round of the draft, I'd already given up hope on the Raiders draft picks.
Apparently, so have they. According to Pro Football Talk, the Raiders have waived/did-not-sign sixth round pick Stryker Sulak.
Before training camp. Before a contract was signed. Heck, even if a deal were signed it wouldn't be guaranteed (save the minimal signing bonus) until the start of the season.
PFT's source said, "I've never seen that happen before." It's not that unusual for a late round pick like Sulak to not make the team. But to be cut before training camp even starts? To be cut in the dead of July? Something tells me there's more to this story.
Sulak will hit the waiver wire which means the Chiefs will have a crack at him if the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams pass.
Sulak is a 6'3", 251 pound defensive end who some say could project as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme with his 4.63 40 yard dash times. He finished second in Mizzou history with 22.5 sacks and accumulated 14 forced fumbles.