26-year old Michael Bush and 22-year old Darren McFadden are going to handle most of the heavy lifting for the Raiders in the running game in 2010.  Michael Bush probably has the lead as far as carries go heading into training camp.  Bush played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Raiders last season in which he carried the ball 123 times for 589 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 17 passes for 105 yards (6.2 avg) last year.  Bush has now played in 31 games (7 starts) in his career with the Raiders and he has carried the ball 218 times for 1,010 yards (4.6 ypc) with 6 TD carries.  He has also caught 36 passes for 267 yards (7.4 avg) in his career with the Raiders so far.  Bush is a power runner who is a good fit for the Raiders style now that his knee appears close to 100%.

22-year old Darren McFadden is a former high first round pick of the Raiders and he hasn’t looked too good as of yet.  He played in 12 games (7 starts) for the Raiders last season in which he carried the ball 104 times for 357 yards (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  McFadden also caught 21 passes for 245 yards (11.7 avg) last season.  He has now played in 25 games (12 starts) in his two years with the Raiders and he has carried the ball 217 times for 856 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  McFadden has also caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg).  McFadden has the speed that Bush lacks so they could be a good tandem in 2010 if they both stay healthy.

30-year old Rock Cartwright is a solid backup RB and kickoff returner.  He played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Redskins last year in which he carried the ball 64 times for 228 yards (3.6 ypc).  Cartwright also caught 27 passes for 242 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also returned 39 kickoffs for 868 yards (22.3 avg) last year.  Cartwright has now played in 123 games (5 starts) in his 8 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 215 times for 889 yards (4.1 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also has caught 59 passes for 555 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also returned 222 kickoffs for 5,332 yards (24.0 avg) with 1 TD return. 

31-year old Michael Bennett once made a Pro Bowl (2002 with the Chiefs) but that was a long, long time ago.  Bennett played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season in which he carried the ball 23 times for 65 yards (2.8 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 65 yards (10.8 avg) last season.  Bennett has now played in 100 games (50 starts) in his nine years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 842 times for 3,692 yards (4.4 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He also has caught 157 passes for 1,285 yards (8.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs in his career.  Bennett still has some speed but his gas tank probably doesn’t have much left in it.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS RBs in 2010:  C-

The Oakland Raiders made a bold move on draft day in acquiring QB Jason Campbell from the Redskins (for a future 4th round pick) on Draft Day.  This allowed move allowed them the opportunity to cut JaMarcus Russell who was a GIGANTIC flop!  Campbell is only 28 years old and he seems to have improved every year he has been in the league which bodes well for the Raiders.  Campbell played in 16 games for the Redskins last season and he completed 327 of 507 passes (64.5%) for 3,618 yards with 20 TD passes and 15 INTs (86.4  QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 46 times for 236 yards (5.1 ypc) with 1 TD run last season.  Campbell has a good enough arm to make all of the throws, he protects the football and he can run if needed.  Campbell has now played in 52 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 1,002 of 1,637 passes (61.2%) for 10,860 yards with 55 TD passes and 38 INTs (82.3 QB Rating).  Campbell has also carried the ball 153 times for 786 yards (5.1 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career to date.  Campbell is only 20-32 (38.5%) as a starting QB in the NFL but a lot of that record was not his fault.

27-year old Bruce Gradkowski will be Campbell’s backup in 2010.  He played in 7 games for the Raiders last season and he completed 82 of 150 passes (54.7%) for 1,007 yards with 6 TD passes and 3 INTs (80.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Gradkowski has now played in 26 games in his NFL career and he has completed 279 of 523 passes (53.3%) for 2,824 yards with 15 TD passes and 16 INTs (65.9 QB Rating).  Gradkowski has also carried the ball 67 times for 291 yards (4.3 ypc) in his career.  Gradkowski has a 5-11 (31.3%) record as a starting QB in his NFL career.  Gradkowski is a tough guy but he doesn’t have much of an arm.  Still, he should be a solid backup QB as he played pretty well for the Raiders last year.

A pair of 28-year olds (Kyle Boller and Charlie Frye) will battle for the #3 job at QB during training camp.  Boller has the strong arm that owner Al Davis likes which will give him a small edge.  Boller played in 7 games for the Rams last season and he completed 98 of 176 passes (55.7%) for 899 yards with 3 TD passes and 6 INTs (61.2 QB Rating).  Boller also carried the ball 13 times for 76 yards (5.8 ypc) last season.  Boller has now played in 60 games in his NFL career and he has completed 844 of 1,487 passes (56.8%) for 8,745 yards with 48 TD passes and 50 INTs (70.6 QB Rating).  Boller has also carried the ball 160 times for 516 yards (3.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Boller has a 20-26 record (43.5%) as a starting QB in his NFL career.

Charlie Frye is a good runner but he is often careless with the ball which gets both him and his team in trouble.  Frye played in 3 games for the Raiders last season and he completed 53 of 87 passes (60.9%) for 581 yards with 1 TD pass and 4 INTs (65.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 41 yards (10.3 ypc) last year.  Frye has now played in 26 games in his NFL career and he has completed 419 of 676 passes (62.0%) for 4,154 yards with 17 TD passes and 29 INTs (69.8 QB Rating).  Frye has also carried the ball 72 times for 347 yards (4.8 ypc) with 4 TD runs in his career.  Frye has a 7-16 (30.4%) record as a starting QB in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS QBs in 2010:  C

The Raiders have brought in veteran Jeff Garcia to push JaMarcus Russell for the starting job in 2009.  Russell has all of the tools to be a great QB as he has nice size, good mobility and a strong throwing arm.  But, he makes a ton of mistakes and that’s where Garcia comes in.  Garcia doesn’t have a great arm but it’s good enough.  He also has great mobility and he’s a good team leader.  Based on how he played when he was healthy last season for the Bucs it appears that Garcia might still be a decent NFL starting QB in 2009.  He does have problems with durability however based on his style of play and age.  Andrew Walter probably has the edge for the #3 QB job heading into camp as he has been a Raider for a while.  But, he was on some pretty bad Raiders’ teams early in his career and he could be punch drunk right now.  Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye are similar in style as they both have weak arms and good mobility.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  C-

30-year old left footed Sebastian Janikowski has great leg strength as he can nail a 60-yarder on occasion but the Raiders need him to be more accurate as he sometimes is off target leaving points on the field.  Janikowski played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he made 23 of 32 (71.9%) field goals.  He also converted all 28 of his extra point attempts last season.  Janikowski has had issues his whole career with accuracy.  He has played in 125 games in his NFL career and he has made 179 of 233 field goal attempts (76.8%).  He has also made 271 of 273 extra points (99.3%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

The Raiders would be smart to look at the TE more in the passing game in 2008 with JaMarcus Russell learning on the fly.  22-year Zach Miller proved to be a very solid receiver as a rookie in 2007 and he’s just scratching the surface of his potential.  Miller played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 44 passes for 444 yards (10.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Miller will definately have better stats in 2008 for the Raiders.

25-year old John Madsen will be the backup TE this season for the Raiders.  He played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 8 passes for 102 yards (12.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Madsen might get a few token receptions in 2008 but don’t expect too much from him.  Madsen has now played in 31 games in his NFL career and he has caught 19 passes for 248 yards (13.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs. 

28-year old Tony Stewart will be the #3 TE for the Raiders this season.  He didn’t play last season due to injury.  He is more of a run blocking TE as he is a big guy at 6’5″, 260 pounds.  Stewart has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has caught 55 passes for 464 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

The Raiders needed a facelift at WR and they have done that bringing in Javon Walker and Drew Carter as free agents.  Javon Walker almost retired after his assault in Las Vegas but Al Davis and company talked him into playing this season.  If healthy and focused, Walker will be the #1 WR on the Raiders.  Walker played in 8 games for the Broncos last season and he caught 26 passes for 287 yards (11.0 avg) without a TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for -3 yards (-1.5 ypc) last season.  The thought here is that Walker will be a good fit for the Raiders as JaMarcus Russell has the arm to hit Walker if he gets behind the defense and he should be able to if healthy.  Walker has now played in 72 games in his NFL career and he has caught 252 passes for 3,815 yards (15.1 avg) with 30 TD grabs.  Walker has also carried the ball 14 times for 132 yards (9.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.

29-year old Ronald Curry had a breakout season for the Raiders last year and he is a very solid #2 WR.  He played in 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 55 passes for 717 yards (13.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Curry to top those numbers in 2008 for the Raiders as he has the speed to get deep.  Curry has now played in 62 games in his NFL career and he has caught 174 passes for 2,166 yards (12.4 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 4 times for 2 yards (0.5 ypc) in his NFL career.

26-year old Drew Carter is a speedster who was a tad underrated for the Panthers.  He will be the #3 WR for the Raiders this season and he should get a lot of action.  Carter played in 16 games for the Panthers last season and he caught 38 passes for 517 yards (13.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Carter to at least match his numbers from 2007 with the Panthers in 2008 with the Raiders.  Carter has now played in 33 games in his NFL career and he has caught 71 passes for 977 yards (13.8 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 18 yards (9.0 ypc) in his career.

Johnnie Lee Higgins has great deep speed but he will need to start to show it on Gameday if he’s going to be anything more than a special teams player in the NFL.  Higgins played in all 16 games as a rookie with the Raiders last season and he caught 6 passes for 47 yards (7.8 avg).  He also carried the ball 2 times for 3 yards (1.5 ypc) last season.

Rookie Arman Shields could move up the depth chart with a good training camp.  He caught 160 passes for 1,930 yards (12.1 avg) with 13 TD grabs in his career at Richmond. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Raiders have decent fullbacks that add a little spice to the offense.  Veteran Justin Griffith will likely be the starter at fullback despite blocking not being the best part of his game.  That’s because he is  6’0″, 230 pounds, but, he’s a good runner and receiver which gives the Raiders options when he’s in the game.  Griffith played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Raiders last season and he carried the ball 7 times for 27 yards (3.9 ypc).  He also caught 26 passes for 165 yards (6.3 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Look for Griffith to possibly be even more involved in the offense especially in the passing game in 2008.  Griffith has now played in 79 games (59 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 88 times for 405 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 113 passes for 786 yards (7.0 avg) with 10 TD grabs in his career.

Oren O’Neal is the classic punch you in the face running back.  He is 5’11″, 245 pounds and he’s a load blocking in the running game.  O’Neal played in 14 games (1 start) for the Raiders last season and he caught 1 pass for 1 yard.  Look for the Raiders to toss him a bone once in a while by giving him the football a few times for good blocking.

6’2″, 255 pound Tony Jackson is the #3 fullback on the depth chart heading into the 2008 season.  He will have a hard time moving up the depth chart without injuries happening to a player above him.  Jackson has no experiece to this point in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Raiders will likely transform their offense this season into a run first team and that suits the stable of running backs that they have assembled for 2008.  Justin Fargas was the main man last season and he will get a lot of action in 2008.  He’s strong and fast as he can break the big one if he finds a crease in the defense.  Fargas played in 14 games (7 starts) with the Raiders last season and he carried the ball 222 times for 1,009 yards (4.5 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 23 passes for 188 yards (8.2 avg).  Fargas will have to stay healthy which has been an issue in his career to this point to hold off Darren MaFadden for the feature role in the running game.  Fargas has now played in 66 games (14 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 480 times for 2,025 yards (4.2 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also has caught 50 passes for 358 yards (7.2 avg).

Darren McFadden is the golden boy of this year’s draft as he has a lot of the same skills that Adrian Peterson brought to the Vikings last season.  In his three years at Arkansas, McFadden averaged 1,530 yards rushing, 5.8 yards per carry and 13.7 rushing TDs per season.  He has the speed to go the distance on any carry and he has the power to run between the tackles.  Look for him to eventually snap the starting job away from Fargas but they should be able to share the job this season.

Michael Bush missed all of his rookie season while rehabbing from a serious injury in college (broken leg).  The Raiders will likely use Bush in short yardage situations this season if he’s healthy because he has more power than either McFadden or Fargas.  He is the secret weapon of the Raiders’ offense if healthy because he’s a very talented football player.

Adimchinobe Echemandu will likely be the #4 RB on the Raiders if they let LaMont Jordan go as most people think they will.  Echemandu played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last season and he carried the ball 20 times for 85 yards (4.3 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 11 yards (5.5 avg).  Echemandu hopes that he gets enough of a chance to prove that he belongs in the NFL this season.  Echemandu has now played in 19 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 28 times for 110 yards (3.9 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 36 yards (7.2 avg).

LaMont Jordan failed in his attempt to become a feature back for the Raiders after being a great backup for the Jets.  His time for the Raiders is almost over it appears with McFadden and Fargas likely to get the bulk of the carries.  Jordan played in 12 games (7 starts) for the Raiders last season and he carried the ball 144 times for 549 yards (3.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 28 passes for 247 yards (8.8 avg) last season.  Look for Jordan to get snapped up by some team if the Raiders release him as he still has something left, just not enough to beat out the backs in front of him in Oakland.  Jordan has now played in 97 games (29 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 792 times for 3,285 yards (4.1 ypc) with 24 TD runs.  He also has caught 158 passes for 1,301 yards (8.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

The Oakland Raiders will get a glimpse of the future as they will be starting JaMarcus Russell at QB.  Russell has a lot to learn about playing QB in the NFL but he has the tools to be a really good one.  Russell has one of the strongest arms in all of football as he can easily flip the ball 60 yards on a line.  He also is mobile enough to buy himself extra time in the pocket to deliver the ball.  He must be more careful of trying to fit the ball into tight spots and getting intercepted.  Russell played in 4 games (1 start) for the Raiders last season and he completed 36 of 66 passes (54.5%) for 373 yards with 2 TD passes and 4 interceptions (55.9 QB Rating).  Russell also carried the ball 5 times for 4 yards (0.8 ypc).  The Raiders were smart in adding WR Javon Walker and RB Darren McFadden to the offense to give Russell some big time weapons.  It will be sink or swim with Russell as he will be thrown entirely to the wolves because the Raiders’ likely don’t trust his backups to do a good job.

Andrew Walter will be the #2 QB for the Raiders this season.  Walter has a strong arm but he’s a sitting duck in the pocket as he doesn’t move well.  He proved his toughness though a couple of years ago when he took an absolute beating behind the then horrible O-Line of the Raiders and he kept coming back for more.  Walter played in 1 game (0 starts) last season for the Raiders and he completed 5 of 8 passes (62.5%) for 38 yards without a TD pass or an interception (74.0 QB Rating).  He didn’t get a chance to run the football last season.  Walter would probably be able to do a much better job this season if forced into action with all of the new weapons the Raiders have added in the off season.  Walter has now played in 13 games (8 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 152 of 284 passes (53.5%) for 1,715 yards with 3 TD passes and 13 interceptions (56.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 30 yards (2.1 ypc).

The Raiders have brought back Marques Tuiasosopo to hold a clipboard as the #3 QB.  He falls short in just about every skill a NFL QB would need except that he runs well.  He was the Jets’ #3 QB last season but he didn’t get to play.  Tuiasosopo has now played in 11 games (2 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 48 of 88 passes (54.5%) for 550 yards with 2 TD passes and 7 interceptions (48.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 15 times for 68 yards (4.5 ypc).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D