The Raiders look like they drafted 3 and maybe 4 starters in last April’s Draft.  The players looked good but not great as rookies, but they have a chance to grow into better football players.  Here’s the breakdown:

In the 1st round the Raiders selected Michael Huff.  Huff played well as a rookie but he didn’t make a lot of big plays.  The Raiders hope that will come with experience.  He played in all 16 games last season and registered 78 tackles and defensed a pass.

In round #2, the Raiders selected OLB Thomas Howard who almost imediately moved into the starting lineup.  He played in all 16 games and made 110 tackles and defensed a pass.  The Raiders also think that Howard will make more big plays with experience.

In the third round the Raiders picked OG Paul McQuistan.  He played in 15 games and started 6 of them.  The 6′6″, 315 pound McQuistan should improve with time.  The jump from Weber State to the NFL is a huge one.

4th round pick SS/OLB Darnell Bing didn’t play a down as a rookie.  The Raiders are hoping that he will contribute next season.

6th round pick OT Kevin Boothe was a find for the Raiders.  He played in all 16 games and started 14 of them.  The 6′5″, 315 pound lineman will improve with experience as he learns the tricks of the trade.

The 7th round was not kind to the Raiders.  They drafted C Chris Morris who played in 5 games but didn’t start any of them.  He should make the team next season.   But, WR Kevin McMahan didn’t even make the team.

This is a very interesting move by the Oakland Raiders.  Kiffin is the youngest head coach in the history of the Oakland Raiders at only 31 years old.  But, his bloodlines run deep in the NFL as his father is Monte Kiffin, the defensive co-ordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  In 2005 and 2006, Lane Kiffin was the offensive co-ordinator of the awesome USC Trojans!  Al Davis must think he can turn the Raiders around quickly because the Raiders already have a good defense.  If Kiffin can turn the offense around quickly the Raiders might not be far off from being a decent football team.

With the Raiders not able to pass most teams moved extra players into the box to stop the running game and that really hurt the backs on the Raiders.  Justin Fargas got his first real chance to show what he could do because of the injury to LaMont Jordan (knee).  Fargas played in all 16 games and carried the ball 178 times for 659 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 13 passes for 91 yards (7.0 avg).  For his career, Fargas has played in 52 games (7 starts) and he carried the football 258 times for 1,016 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 27 passes for 170 yards (6.3 avg).

LaMont Jordan only played in 9 games (8 starts) this season due to a bum knee.  He carried the ball 114 times for 434 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 10 passes for 74 yards (7.4 avg).  For his career, Jordan has played in 85 games (22 starts) and he has carried the ball 648 times for 2,736 yards (4.2 ypc) with 21 TD runs.  He also has caught 130 passes for 1,054 yards (8.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

Zack Crockett did his usual job of banging.  He carried the ball 39 times for 163 yards (4.2 ypc).  He also caught 10 passes for 53 yards (5.3 avg).  For his career, Crockett has played in 174 games (58 starts) and he’s carried the ball 509 times for 1,701 yards (3.3 ypc) with 36 TD runs.  He also has caught 96 passes for 680 yards (7.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

RaShard Lee also played in all 16 games for the Raiders and carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards (3.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 20 passes for 138 yards (6.9 avg).  For his career, Lee has played in 37 games (4 starts) and he has carried the football 59 times for 216 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also has caught 22 passes for 147 yards (6.7 avg).

Second year pro Andrew Walter got to play alot this season and the results weren’t pretty.  Walter played in 12 games (8 starts) and he completed 147 of 276 passes (53.3%) for 1,677 yards with 3 TD passes and 13 interceptions (55.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 14 times for 30 yards (2.1 ypc).

Aaron Brooks also had a lost season as he started 8 games and completed 110 of 192 passes (57.3%) for 1,105 yards passing with 3 TD passes and 8 interceptions (61.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 22 times for 124 yards (5.6 ypc).  For his career, Brooks has played in 93 games (90 starts) and has completed 1,673 of 2,963 passes (56.5%) for 20,261 yards with 123 TD passes and 92 interceptions (78.5 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 362 times for 1,534 yards (4.2 ypc) with 13 TD runs.

Marques Tuiasosopo played in 2 games this season (no starts) and he completed 6 of 13 passes (46.2%) for 68 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions (48.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 29 yards (7.3 ypc).  For his career, Tuiasosopo has played in 11 games (2 starts)  and he’s completed 48 of 88 passes (54.5%) for 550 yards with 2 TD passes and 7 interceptions (48.0 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 15 times for 68 yards (4.5 ypc).

 

Art Shell’s return engagement as head coach of the Oakland Raiders was not a success.  The Raiders finished 2-14 and looked horrible doing it and that’s why Art Shell is no longer employed by the Raiders.  Shell now has a career record of 56-52 in the regular season and 2-3 in the post season.