Owner Al Davis loves speed and that’s what motivated him to select WR Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round.  Heyward-Bey is 6’2″, 205 pounds and he runs a stunning 4.3 40.  Heyward-Bey can be electrifying at times with his speed but he will need to work on his hands and route running.  He played 3 seasons for Maryland playing in 38 games (35 starts) in which he caught 138 passes for 2,089 yards (15.1 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  Heyward-Bey will get a chance from Day #1 to prove the critics wrong and he definately has the tools to get deep for JaMarcus Russell.

This was an outstanding move for the Raiders.  39-year old Jeff Garcia will back up JaMarcus Russell this season as long as the kid starts showing some improvement.  Garcia played in 12 games for the Buccaneers last year and he completed 244 of 376 passes (64.9%) for 2,712 yards with 12 TD passes and 6 interceptions (90.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 35 times for 148 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Despite his advancing age it appears that Garcia has retained his skills as a leader because of his toughness.  Garcia has now played in 124 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,264 for 3,676 (61.6%) for 25,537 yards with 161 TD passes and 83 INTs (87.5 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 465 times for 2,142 yards (4.6 ypc) with 26 TD runs. 

The Raiders have signed 27-year old guard/right tackle Marcus Johnson.  Johnson played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Vikings last year.  He has now played in 47 games (18 starts) in his 4-year NFL career.  This was a good signing for the Raiders as the 6’6″, 321 pound Johnson will provide solid depth along the offensive line in 2009.