The Oakland Raiders have picked 22-year old T/G Joseph Barksdale out of LSU with the 92nd overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Barksdale is a big guy at 6’5″, 313 pounds.  Barksdale sometimes whiffs on blocks down the field and he has had issues with speed rushers at DE.  It seems like he will be much more suited to play guard than tackle at the NFL level.  Barksdale played in 13 games (all starts) for the Tigers last year and he played in 53 games (39 starts) in his four years there.  The Raiders have had luck with coaching up offensive linemen lately so maybe Barksdale will be the latest success story there.  The Raiders hope so because they really need help on the O-Line.

The Oakland Raiders picked 22-year old cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke out of Miami (FL) with the 81st overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  DeMarcus Van Dyke is 6’0″, 168 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40…which means he has the speed that Raiders’ owner Al Davis loves.  But, despite having that speed, Van Dyke has issues on the field as he’s not that tough of a guy.  He played in 13 games (4 starts) for the Hurricanes last year and he had 20 tackles, broke up 5 passes, had 2 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  Van Dyke played in 50 games (22 starts) in his four years at Miami (FL) and he had 79 tackles, broke up 10 passes, had 3 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  This is one of those famous boom or bust picks for the Raiders as they picked Van Dyke because of his speed.

The Oakland Raiders drafted 22-year old center Stefen Wisniewski out of Penn State with the 48th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Wisniewski is 6’3″, 295 pounds so he’s likely going to stay at center for a while.  He is a solid technician, especially in the passing game.  But, he doesn’t have a lot of explosion or pop to drive defenders off the ball.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for the Nittany Lions last year.  He played in 47 games (39 starts) in his four years at Penn State.  Wisniewski should be the starting center for the Raiders starting in 2011.

The Oakland Raiders have a lot of needs on both sides of the football, but I see them thinking offense next weekend.  Here is a look at who I see the Raiders winding up with in my mock draft:

2nd round (#48 overall) – Marcus Cannon, T, TCU

3rd round (#81 overall) – Clint Boling, G, Georgia

4th round (#113 overall) – Tim Barnes, C, Missouri

5th round (#148 overall) – Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego State

6th round (#181 overall) – Terrance Turner, WR, Indiana

7th round (#219 overall) – Buster Skrine, CB, Chattanooga

7th round (#241 overall) – Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M

The Raiders would find a lot of value in picking offensive linemen early in this draft and they need help there big time.  I think this would be a good group for the Raiders to add to the roster.

The Oakland Raiders got contributions out of all 9 players they drafted last year and that just doesn’t happen very often for any team.  Here’s a look at how the rookies did:

Rolando McClain – The Raiders used the #8 overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft on MLB Rolando McClain out of Alabama.  He played in 15 games (all starts) for the Raiders last year and he had 85 tackles, 1/2 a sack, 6 tackles for a loss, 1 interception and 6 passes defensed.  McClain really helped the Raiders with toughness in the middle of the field which they have not had in quite some time.

Lamarr Houston – The Raiders used their 2nd round pick (#44 overall) on DE Lamarr Houston out of Texas.  Houston played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Raiders last year and he had 39 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and he had 2 fumble recoveries.  Houston is good enough to play inside if the Raiders need him to as he’s very versatile which enhances his value.

Jared Veldheer – When the Raiders took Jared Veldheer out of tiny Hillsdale (Michigan) College with the 69th overall pick (3rd round) last April.  A lot of teams were snickering when this pick was announced but the Raiders got the last laugh.  Veldheer played in 16 games (11 starts) at center and tackle for the Raiders last year.  He will likely settle in as the Raiders’ starting LT in 2011 and beyond.

Bruce Campbell – The Raiders used the 106th overall pick (4th round) on G/T Bruce Campbell out of Maryland.  Campbell played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last year.  He could get a starting job at guard in 2011 if he continues to improve as a player.

Jacoby Ford – The Raiders found a big time playmaker in the 4th round (#108) out of Clemson.  Ford made some of the most dazzling catches I have EVER seen when he essentially took the ball away from much bigger defensive players!  Ford played in 16 games (9 starts) for the Raiders last year and he caught 25 passes for 470 yards (18.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Ford also carried the ball 10 times for 155 yards (15.5 ypc) with 2 more TDs.  Ford didn’t stop there though as he returned 53 kickoffs for 1,280 yards (24.2 avg) with 3 TD returns.  Ford even pitched in with 3 tackles last year!  The sky is the limit for Jacoby Ford as he’s Al Davis’ kind of guy.

Walter McFadden – The Raiders used the 138th overall pick (5th round) on CB Walter McFadden out of Auburn.  McFadden played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last year and he had 5 whole tackles.  He looked a little overmatched so he will need to step up in 2011 if he wants to keep his roster spot.

Travis Goethel – The Raiders took OLB Travis Goethel with the 190th overall pick (6th round) out of Arizona State.  Goethel played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last year and he had 9 tackles.  He earned more P.T. in the second half last year so the Raiders hope he will improve in 2011.

Jeremy Ware – The Raiders took CB Jeremy Ware in the 7th round (#215 overall) out of Michigan State last April.  Ware played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last year and he had 1 tackle, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He might get a chance to have a bigger role in 2011.

Stevie Brown – With the 251st overall pick (7th round) the Raiders took safety Stevie Brown out of Michigan.  Brown played in 15 games (1 start) for the Raiders last year and he had 30 tackles and 2 passes defensed.  Brown could work his way into the starting lineup down the road as he was pretty impressive when you consider where he was picked.

GRADE FOR THE 2010 SEASON:  B+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A