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

The Raiders picked safety Stevie Brown with the 251st pick of the NFL Draft (7th round).  He is 5’11″, 213 pounds and he runs a 4.56 40.  Brown had 79 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception last season for Michigan.  In his four years in college Brown finished up with 184 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and he had 4 interceptions (103 return yards).  Brown was a solid player in college so he was worth taking a chance on this late in the NFL Draft by the Raiders.

The Raiders picked CB Jeremy Ware out of Michigan State with the 215th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  Ware is 5’11″, 188 pounds but he’s fast.  He had 52 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 interception for the Spartans last season.  He finished up with 84 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions in his 3 years at Michigan State.  Ware will likely have to earn a spot on the special teams as a rookie for the Raiders.

The Raiders have picked inside linebacker Travis Goethel with the 190th overall pick (6th round) of the NFL Draft.  He has the size at 6’2″, 240 pounds to handle a job on the inside of the D but he’s not very fast 4.86 40 which will hurt him trying to chase around running backs at the NFL level.  Goethel had 53 tackles and 1 interception last season for Arizona State.  He finished up with 223 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 3 interceptions (1 returned for a TD) in his time at Arizona State.  Goethel will have to earn his roster spot on special teams this season but he could develop into a helpful defender for the Raiders down the road.

The Raiders have picked CB Walter McFadden out of Auburn with the 138th overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  McFadden is very thin at 5’11″, 172 pounds but he’s lightning quick running a 4.42 40.  McFadden is a really good pass defender despite his size.  But, he likely won’t be able to help much against the running game.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for Auburn last season and he finished up with 46 tackles, he broke up 10 passes and he had 6 interceptions (154 return yards).  McFadden played in 47 games (25 starts) in his four years at Auburn in which he had 87 tackles, he broke up 19 passes and he had 9 interceptions (265 return yards).  McFadden will likely help the Raiders on special teams and maybe as a nickel back in 2010 and he might be even more than that down the road.

The Raiders have picked WR/KR/PR Jacoby Ford out of Clemson with the 108th overall pick (4th round) of the NFL Draft.  Ford is a tiny guy at 5’8″, 182 pounds but he was the fastest player at the NFL Combine running a 4.2 40.  Ford fills Al Davis’ need for speed in the draft.  Ford played in 14 games (all starts) for Clemson last season and he caught 56 passes for 779 yards (13.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  In his four years in college, Ford played in 48 games (27 starts) in which he caught 143 passes for 1,986 yards (13.9 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  Ford’s whole game is based on speed as he doesn’t help out much as a blocker in the running game.  With the Raiders not having much of a WR corps Ford could have a role as a slot receiver with them.  He also could help out a lot on special teams where the Raiders can use his game changing speed.

The Raiders have picked OT Bruce Campbell out of Maryland with the 106th overall pick (4th round) of the NFL Draft.  Campbell has nice size at 6’6″, 310 pounds and he is very fast for a tackle.  Campbell is a good pass blocker but he uses more finesse than he should and that hampers his run blocking.  Campbell played in 9 games (all starts) last season at Maryland and he played in 27 games (17 starts) in his three years there.  Campbell was expected to be picked in the 1st or 2nd round by most experts so the Raiders got great value here at a position of need.  Look for him to be starting for the Raiders as early as week #1 this year.

The Raiders have acquired 28-year old QB Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins for a 4th round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Campbell is a big guy at 6’5″, 230 pounds and he has all of the tools to be a solid QB.  He has a good arm, he’s mobile and he protects the football which will all be new to the Raiders’ receivers in 2010.  Campbell played in all 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.  In his time with the Redskins, Campbell played in 52 games in which he completed 1,002 of 1,637 passes (61.2%) for 10,860 yards with 55 TD passes and 38 INTs (82.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 153 times for 786 yards (5.1 ypc) with 3 TD carries in his career.  Campbell is a HUGE upgrade for the Raiders and they didn’t have to pay much to get him. 

The Raiders have traded 28-year old inside linebacker Kirk Morrison to the Jaguars for a 4th round pick in the NFL Draft.  Morrison played in 16 games for the Raiders last season and he finished up with 133 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and he defensed 1 pass.  In his 5 years with the Raiders he played in 80 games in which he has made 632 tackles, defensed 19 passes, he has 5 sacks and 7 interceptions.  With the addition of Rolando McClain in the first round of the NFL Draft, Morrison became expendable.  This is a good trade for both the Raiders and Morrison as he will get to start for the Jaguars and the Raiders got a decent pick for him.

The Oakland Raiders have selected OT Jared Veldheer with the 69th overall pick (3rd round) of the NFL Draft.  Veldheer certainly looks the part at 6’7″, 321 pounds and he is a weight room warrior.  But he is just not a mean guy and that will need to change especially seeing how his home games will be in the Black Hole.  Veldheer played in 13 games (all starts) at tiny Hillsdale (Michigan) and he played in 46 games (all starts) in his four years there.  If Veldheer gets some fire in his belly he could develop into a starting offensive tackle in the NFL but it’s going to take some time and a lot of good coaching.