Oakland Raiders 2015 NFL Draft Selections (Rounds 4-7) + Final Grade

Conclusion:

*Changes to grade and research are closed once conclusion is posted*

Overall, this was a pretty good draft McKenzie put together. It wasn't as good as 2014, but it's up there and McKenzie has addressed areas of concern in the early rounds. Were there better prospects that the Raiders passed up? Absolutely. Drafting Amari Cooper started the fireworks, then Mario Edwards, Jr. getting selected in the 2nd round, left us "iffy" because Preston Smith and Owa Odigizuhwa were better prospects in my opinion, Clive Walford built our excitement back up, then the amount of linebackers selected had us in anxiety because we want Reggie to start focusing on other priorities like secondary help. But we're just all online GMs and not professional scouts and they won't pick the player we want them pick sometimes. But final thoughts, it's a solid draft, it's not legendary like last year's draft where the Raiders snagged 4 starters in the first four rounds and 1 in the 7th round, but it adds more pieces to help cornerstones, Khalil Mack and Derek Carr, to drive this franchise towards perennial playoff contention in the near future.

Final Grade: B+

Round 7: Pick 242, Dexter McDonald, CB, Kansas

Highlights:

Comment: We've been crying for some help in the secondary, possibly screaming if there's any and finally the Raiders have addressed that by using their final pick on Dexter McDonald out of Kansas. Raiders are taking another page out of the Seahawks' playbook of getting tall, lengthy corners and McDonald is the latest tall corner drafted by the Raiders. This guy managed to hold his own against 7th pick, Kevin White in the highlights. According to his profile, he can play press, very disruptive, needs a little polishing in being a physical corner and he can be over-aggressive with his hands leading to some PIs. Nonetheless, it's a good value pick and adds needed help for the cornerback position, in fact, probably increases the competition with McGill, Carrie, and Thorpe to start opposite of D.J. Hayden.

Grade: A-

Round 7: Pick 221, Andre Debose, WR, Florida

Highlights:

Comment: Mike Mayock says he has a potential to be scary and was projected to be the next Percy Harvin. After looking at his highlights, all I can say "holy sh*t." This guy can give the Raiders an electric kick/punt returner, something we haven't seen since Jacoby Ford was drafted back in 2010. Forget reading the scouting profile, this guy can be an instant contributor on special teams right away. He showed flashes to be a deep threat as well. Now looking at more reports on him, he is a bit older at 25 years old and had off the field issues and likely a risk-reward guy and Reggie takes chances at players with red flags at this point of the draft. But, my goodness, if this guy makes the roster and works to his potential, it's a pick your poison situation when Carr is going for the deep ball whether the defense double teams Cooper or Debose, but likely he is going to be a big time contributor and bring that energy and electricity to special teams we haven't seen in a while since Jacoby Ford.

Grade: B+

Round 7: Pick 218, Anthony Morris, OT, Tennessee Tech

Highlights:

Comment: Usually, the 7th round goes by really fast, so I'll make this short and quick. Morris is another big lineman, he's pretty decent at run blocking and pass protection and he can pull too, I'll give him that. If I can see his scouting profile, it would be convenient, but he's likely there for depth and again, it addresses the need and fortifies the O-line depth.

Grade: B

Round 6: Pick 179, Max Valles, LB, Virginia 

Highlights: 

Comment: Surprise! Another linebacker. Three linebackers in a row the Raiders went. Looking at this guy and reading his scouting profile, he's big, athletic, and he can play on the dirt or play standing up. The guy is still raw and needs to be coached up in terms of technique, instinct, and footwork as a pass rusher. The Louisville game as showed above shows his athleticism, batting down passes a la J.J. Watt. Not saying that he's the next J.J. Watt or anything. You can't get enough of linebackers, but I was hoping the Raiders would start addressing the secondary or continually bolster the d-line or o-line, but this guy is projected to play more defensive end since the Raiders drafted him as a DE. I see this guy as a project under Del Rio, Norton, and Sunseri.

Grade: B-

Round 5: Pick 161, Neiron Ball, LB, Florida

Highlights: N/A

Comment: Man, hearing his 12 minute video about him and his brain surgery reminds me of D.J. Hayden and his story after suffering a near-death experience. The guy had brain surgery in 2011 and worked his way up to get back to finish his collegiate career with the Gators. Looking at his profile, he's a versatile linebacker able to play inside and outside and can play the 4-3 or 3-4. He doesn't give up on the play, he's a viable asset to special teams. Of course the concern is that can he get back to top notch health because the NFL plays at a much faster pace. Not to mention, he's battled a lot of injuries in his young career. The Raiders picked two linebackers in the 5th round, it wasn't too much of a need at this point considering the core is stacked, but you have to root for this guy to have a fairy tale ending by being in the NFL and I think he's going to be a valuable asset on special teams and needed in some situations.

Grade: C+

Round 5: Pick 140, Ben Heeney, LB, Kansas

Highlights: 

Comment: He has that old school Raider look with that beard on. From what I'm hearing, this guy has "steal" written all over him a la Chris Borland. From the highlights, Heeney is really a run stuffer and according to his profile, he has posted up "eye-opening" numbers for tackles for loss in his collegiate career. This is a guy, even if a running back gets a hole, he doesn't give up on the play until that running back gets tackled and he barely allows offenses to run up on him for a TD in the end zone. He has pretty good awareness on the ball, but again highlights only tell a tiny bit of the story than a full breakdown. Looking at his profile again, he tends to struggle against bigger, more powerful linemen and last season he was the nation's leader in missed tackles. That's definitely an area of concern because it's like the Raiders drafted another Miles Burris, but I think he has the potential to be better than Burris, only time will tell.

Grade: A-

Round 4: Pick 128, Jon Feliciano, G, Miami

Highlights: N/A

Comment: So the Raiders apparently traded down twice in the 4th round and finally at pick 128, the Raiders select Jon Feliciano out of Miami. So they selected a player out of the U for two consecutive rounds and he's another big body interior lineman. 6-2, 323 pounds and this guy has played left tackle, guard, right tackle, so he's pretty versatile. From the scouting profile, he's effective in the short pull game, so definitely he will be an asset in the run game, decent awareness against the pass rush, allowing just 4 sacks in his entire collegiate career. Some weaknesses include that he has short arms, lacks quickness, and his hand placement can be a mess at times. Most of Feliciano's weaknesses can be coached under Mike Tice, but overall this is a pretty good pick. The Raiders needed a guard and beef up that O-line to give Carr more protection and make this up-tempo offense work. Yeah there were better prospects the Raiders could've taken like Tre Jackson, but Feliciano will be coached up and compete for the starting job at right guard.

Grade: A-

Oakland Raiders 2015 NFL Draft Selections (Rounds 2-3)

Round 3: Pick 68 Clive Walford, TE, Miami

Highlights:

Comment: Are you sure this guy is a Tight End? Looking at this guy's highlights, this guy can not only catch in the middle, but he can catch on the outside. He can run after the catch, he fights for extra yards, you can line him up almost anywhere, and he can make contested catches. Some of his weaknesses though, he has to improve on his blocking. Reading from the profile, he's gradually improving in that aspect. Other weaknesses do indicate he struggles with some drops and his speed can be somewhat misleading just from interpreting from what the scouts say. But I say this is a great pick for the Raiders as it gives Derek Carr more weapons offensively and if Walford continuously improves his blocking while being that ideal security blanket, Mychal Rivera's days could be numbered with the Raiders, although it would be wise to keep both, especially in the red zone if the Raiders are going to draw up end zone pass plays in a two tight end set.

Grade: A-

Round 2: Pick 35 Mario Edwards Jr., DE, Florida State

Highlights:

Comment: I have a feeling that this has Linebackers Coach Sal Sunseri's name written all over this pick considering he was the Defensive Ends Coach for the Seminoles last year. Some of the notes that I read off Edwards is that he can play in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 as defensive tackle in a 4-3 or defensive end in a 3-4; he's like a poor man's Leonard Williams. Looking at his highlights, he's pretty solid at stuffing the run and doesn't get fooled very often when teams are running read option plays, play action, or any other trick plays. He just stays home and wait for the play to develop before he could make a play. Reading his weaknesses, it is said that he doesn't have any explosiveness when coming off the edge and it depends on his weight on which position he can play whether end or tackle. If he's over 300, he's playing DT, but if he can shed some of that weight, he is able to play DE. I really don't know about this pick; he was projected to end up in the 3rd round. I look at this as a project pick for the Raiders a la Menelik Watson. I thought Preston Smith or Owamagbe Odighizuwa would be the pick if the Raiders were to address the need at defensive end. Mario Edwards fills a need, but I think this was somewhat of a reach to take him that early in the 2nd round.

Grade: B+

Oakland Raiders 2015 NFL Draft Selections (Round 1)

Round 1: Pick 4 Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

Highlights:

Comment: The draft so far was all according to plan. Winston to Tampa, Mariota to Tennessee, Fowler to Jacksonville, that left the Raiders' draft open and all down to Leonard Williams or Amari Cooper. It was a toss up between helping Mack or helping Carr and the Raiders chose to help Carr by selecting Cooper at #4. I was never mad either way. I was torn between Williams and Cooper the past few days. Now that's over with and Amari Cooper is an Oakland Raider. I'll tell you this, he is the sole reason I was following Alabama football during the season. The game where I saw him in action for the first time was against the Florida Gators. As Blake Sims threw a deep ball, I see a #9 wide open with all green around him and I was like "who is this guy?" The more I see highlights and tape of Amari Cooper, this guy is always getting open in some way or some form. He possesses excellent route running, he finds ways to elude the defender around him and he's got smooth hands when he catches the ball. You can line him up literally anywhere, in the slot, on a screen pass, on a deep ball, etc. He can go for the jump ball too, I've seen 'Bama call a couple plays in games in the red zone where they just jump ball it to Cooper, but ultimately, the versatility that Cooper has with his route running and his deep ball, even his work ethic is the reason why I wanted the Raiders to pick him and give Carr a new toy to throw the deep ball to. Now the playbook is wide open for the Raiders to run the no huddle that Musgrave is drawing up, heading into the season.

Grade: A

Raiders Signing Michael Crabtree

The Michael Crabtree free agency saga has come to a screeching halt tonight. According to multiple sources, the Raiders are close to signing 49ers wideout before the end of today. Details of the contract are still unknown, but Crabtree ends his 6 year tenure with the Niners. Selected 10th overall by the Niners, Crabtree only recorded one 1,000 yards receiving season in 2012 and after that, he's been hampered by an achilles injury that limited his production for the past two seasons.

Full article: http://www.csnbayarea.com/raiders/source-raiders-set-sign-wr-michael-crabtree

Comment: Five letters to describe this signing: I-R-O-N-Y. Let's rewind back prior to the 2009 NFL draft where the Raiders were projected to select either between Jeremy Maclin or Michael Crabtree. According to some stories, Crabtree disrespected Al Davis during pre-draft and that lead the Raiders to surprisingly draft Darrius Heyward-Bey and when the Raiders passed up on Crabtree, he and his family breathe a sigh of relief because clearly Crabtree didn't want to play for the Raiders. Just a little story right there and Raider Nation has held a grudge on Crabtree since then. We've been calling him "Wacktree" or "Craptree," etc. He was the main target of Richard Sherman's infamous postgame rant in which Sherman called him a "sorry receiver." I actually don't know what to say, I was pretty leery of the Raiders signing him due to his primadona attitude and he might be in it for the money rather than contribute to the team. What this means though is that the receiving corps is bolstered more when you have guys like Streater, Holmes, Jones, Butler, and add Crabtree to the list, it's a pretty productive receiving corps to help out Derek Carr. I'm still hoping we get a receiver either in the 1st or 2nd round. If Leonard Williams is gone, then Raiders should draft Amari Cooper or Kevin White. Crabtree's signing though likely signals the Raiders won't take a receiver that early in the first round and they're confident Williams will fall at number 4. We're still waiting on word for the contract details, but knowing McKenzie and his philosophy, it's going to be on a minimum "prove it" deal. This shows McKenzie is taking more risks late and hoping for a reward by seasons end. First, he signed T-Rich, who has the "bust" label on him and now he's signing another who has character issues and a "me first" guy in Crabtree. Only time will tell how well he performs before he can receive penance from the Raider Nation. If he screws up that locker room or shoots on the Raiders again, then yes cut him.

CONTRACT DETAILS: 1 year $3.2 million deal <= As expected, incentive-based, risk-reward contract. Welcome to the Raider Nation Crabtree!

Raiders 2015 Free Agency Activity

04/13:

Gain:

WR Michael Crabtree (SF)

04/06:

Loss:

WR Denarius Moore - Signed with Cincinnati Bengals on a one year contract

Comment: There's one word to describe Moore's career after a spectacular rookie season with the Raiders: awful. Well this move makes sense just because of one name: Hue Jackson. During Moore's rookie season, he thrived under Hue's system and since Hue is the O-coordinator, there's a chance Moore can rekindle his 2011 form. However, let's see how far Moore's ego and lazy attitude takes him until training camp and preseason for the Bengals. The Bengals have A.J. Green and serviceable receivers like Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones, so that leaves Moore with some incentive to compete for a roster spot.

04/02:

Gain:

OT J'Marcus Webb (MIN) - Signed to an undisclosed deal

Comment: When I saw the first name alone, my heart, like many other Raider fans, dropped. That name shall forever live in infamy. All jokes aside, bringing in Webb bring depth to the O-line and a camp body. He has familiarity with Bill Musgrave and O-line coach, Mike Tice during his tenures with the Vikings and the Bears.

03/31:

Loss:

DT Antonio Smith - Released

Comment: This was somewhat surprising. It's true that Antonio Smith didn't live up to his Ninja Assassin nickname early in the year as he struggled to play defensive tackle and stopping the run. The final stretch of games, he started to play a little better and maybe deserved to play another year to prove his worth. Under Del Rio, I expected him to go back to playing his natural position at defensive end, but Smith is getting up there in age, aside from another aging vet in Justin Tuck, who's going to provide the pass rush? The Raiders needed to get younger at that position and it's understandable why they released Smith. Cameron Jordan anyone? Or does that mean that Leonard Williams is high on the Raiders' draft board before Amari Cooper or Kevin White? It's all speculation from here.

03/26:

Loss:

DT Pat Sims - Signed back with the Cincinnati Bengals

Comment: This guy had all the potential in the world the first time he signed with the Raiders as a primary run stuffer two years ago. Last year, he re-signed with Raiders to see if he can follow up, turns out he didn't perform too well and eventually lost the starting job to rookie Justin Ellis. Sims proved that he's nothing more than a rotational tackle than a full time starting defensive tackle. I would've brought him back to bolster that depth at the defensive tackle with Ellis and now Dan Williams, but Sims chose to come back to the team that drafted him in Cincy.

03/25:

Gain:

DE C.J. Wilson - Re-signed to a 2 year $4.6 million deal

Comment: He wasn't expected back as he was visiting the Seahawks. It turns out the Seahawks didn't need his services, so Wilson decided to come back and re-sign with the Raiders. I thought he was pretty productive when given extended playing time, playing opposite of Tuck or playing inside. He's very solid at stopping the run and very useful for depth.

03/17:

Gain:

RB Trent Richardson (IND)

03/16:

Loss: 

QB Matt Schaub - released

Comment: No more making $8 million just sitting on the bench with a clipboard on hand and holding when Janikowski comes out onto the field. No more throwing interceptions on special teams on a fake field goal try (see game @ Cleveland Browns). No more throwing pick sixes, even in garbage time (see game @ St. Louis Rams). No more.

03/13:

Gain:

QB Christian Ponder (MIN) - Signed to an undisclosed 1 year deal

Comment: 

I'm not going to panic as much as people will do. Ponder is a mere camp body for QB competition. That and he's familiar with Musgrave's offense.

CB James Dockery (CAR) - Signed to an undisclosed deal

Comment: Always good to have depth in the secondary in case McGill, Hayden, or Carrie go down.

Loss: 

Darren McFadden

03/12:

Gain:

S Nate Allen (PHI) - Signed to an undisclosed deal

Comment: I'm hearing a lot of negative vibes about this guy from the Philly fans. But we have to realize that overall, the Eagles pass defense was just awful. The week 15 home game against the Cowboys exposed the Eagles secondary. I mean nobody could cover Dez Bryant that game, cornerbacks, safeties were getting burned all over the place. Looking at Allen's stats, it's pretty decent for a "mediocre" safety. 300+ tackles, 4 INTs, he definitely showed some improvement as he was graded a +3.9, almost cracking the top 5 category in PFF. It's a risk-reward pickup, but keep in mind, the Raiders' secondary coaching staff has Marcus Robertson and Rod Woodson and you have C-Wood being that mentor to the secondary, so the ceiling is still high for Nate to improve his game at the safety position.

*Updated contract details: 4 years, $23 million

03/11:

Gain:

C Rodney Hudson (KC)

LB Curtis Lofton (NO)

DT Dan Williams (ARZ)

*Updated contract details: 5 years $25 million

03/10: Start of Free Agency

Gain:

Roy Helu Jr. (WAS) - Signed to a 2 year $4 million deal

Comment: I guess it's safe to assume that the Darren McFadden era in Oakland is over with the emergence of Latavius Murray and now the signing of Helu. Solid depth for the position. He used to be the Redskins' feature back before losing that role to Alfred Morris. Great complimentary back to Murray going foward.

TE Lee Smith (BUF) - Signed to a 3 year $9 million deal

Comment: Everybody will ask "Who?" when it comes to these kind of signings, especially with a tight end who is not involved in the passing game much. However, from what hear, this guy is primarily a blocking tight end. Again, it places a lot emphasis on the running game and even though Mychal Rivera is a decent TE, he's only best in catching and not blocking. Nick Kasa was drafted primarily to be a blocking TE, but he couldn't stay healthy. By adding Lee Smith, it's a "Who?" signing, but a blocking tight end is something the Raiders need, especially since the running game is going to be emphasized in Bill Musgrave's offense.

LB Malcolm Smith (SEA) - Signed to a undisclosed deal

Comment: The Super Bowl XLVIII MVP has been quietly on the radar for the Raiders in free agency. If you look at it, Nick Roach's football career is uncertain and the Raiders had to cut him and this is a great replacement. Also, he'll be reuniting with Ken Norton, Jr. and those two had a lot of history together in Seattle. Overall, good signing and it fortifies the youth movement in the linebacker corps.

*Updated contract details: 2 years, $7 million

Loss:

DE/OLB LaMarr Woodley - Cut, signed to a 1 year contract with the Arizona Cardinals

Comment: Woodley was brought in along with Justin Tuck to provide veteran leadership for the Raiders last season and he only had one job and that was getting after the quarterback, playing at the defensive end in the 4-3. It just didn't work out and Woodley didn't do much to make an impact. 6 tackles, 0 sacks speaks for itself. Not to mention, he got injured again and was out for the remainder of the year. Not too much of a loss, but I'm sure he'll be a better fit for the Cardinals defense and play his natural OLB spot.

SS Tyvon Branch - Cut, signed to a 1 year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs

Comment: Usually, you'd hate to see one of your players go to a divisional rival, but this might be an exception. Branch was a decent strong safety, but he just couldn't stay healthy the last few years. Even though Branch signed with the Chiefs, I look at it as a change of scenery, a possible rejuvenation for his career. We already know the Chiefs' situation regarding their star safety, Eric Berry and his recovery from lymphoma. By signing Branch, they have a safety that could fill that position for the time being until their pro bowl safety gets back to 100% recovery.

Raiders Add Trent Richardson For RB Depth

Cleveland traded him, Indianapolis cut him, Raiders claimed him. The Raiders bolster their depth at running back by adding Trent Richardson to the team. Details of his contract are undisclosed, but it is safe to assume he is on a prove-it deal that if he can rekindle putting up numbers the way he did his rookie season, he makes the team, if he flops during preseason, he gets cut.

Whoo boy. The Raiders have done this in the past before, giving under-performing football players a 2nd chance to be a star on their team and it has worked out (ex: Jim Plunkett). Obviously, things didn't work out for T-Rich in his tenure with Indianapolis Colts. They thought he could bolster that running game and relieve pressure off of Andrew Luck in the passing game and Richardson hasn't lived up to the expectations. In fact, he hasn't lived up to expectations since his rookie year as he almost rushed for 1,000 yards and adding 11 TDs and then those numbers have dipped. The reason why this got a separate post is because it was unexpected. I thought the Raiders were contempt of having Latavius Murray and Roy Helu, Jr. in that backfield and they could line up Reece there if they want to. With the addition of T-Rich, even though contract details feel like he's going to be there as a camp body, Raiders get somewhat of a bruiser at that position. However, if things don't work out, that's fine. This goes to show that they're not anointing Murray yet to play a full 16 game season as an every down back. Heck, if they choose to keep T-Rich, probably the Raiders pull a Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots last season and run with whoever is a capable back by committee.

Contract details: 2 years, $3.9 million  < I guess it's safe to assume that he'll make the team although there are no guarantees once players push themselves to the limit to make the team, but with this deal, it looks like T-Rich is going to stick around.

Darren McFadden Departs For Dallas

The Darren McFadden era in Oakland has finally come to an end. After staying for one more year last season, Darren McFadden has found a new home down in Texas. McFadden and the Dallas Cowboys have come to an agreement for a 2 year $5.85 million deal. With the departure of DeMarco Murray to Philly, the Cowboys had to fill in their running back void.

A part of us here within the Raider Nation is probably celebrating right now that he's finally left the team. It's understandable, considering he just couldn't stay healthy for a full 16 game season. Ironically, the year he finally stood healthy is last season, his last season with the Silver and Black, but he didn't contribute too much with the eventual emergence of Latavius Murray. He only had a 1000+ yard season under Hue Jackson and the next year with Hue as the head coach, he looked like he was on pace another great year till he got hit with a Linsfranc injury and the rest was history for McFadden's tenure. We may be glad that he's out considering the amount of times his injuries cost the Raiders promising seasons during his breakout years, but you can't deny his loyalty to the Raiders. He could've walked out last offseason when he was a free agent, could've taken Adrian Peterson-like money to play for another team, but he wanted to stay, take less money, and play with a chip on his shoulder to give something long overdue to the Raiders. It just wasn't meant to be.

Now with McFadden going to Dallas, those two years on the contract are definitely going to be pivotal. The Cowboys have a stout O-line, the paved a lot of holes for DeMarco Murray to run in. Basically, McFadden is going to get what he hasn't had in his 6-7 year tenure with the Raiders, a stout O-line that can open up big running lanes. The verdict is still out there whether McFadden failed to be the star running back the Raiders expected him to be because of an awful O-line he had to play with or is it because of the injuries that have derailed his growth into one of the league's premiere running back. Only the next season will tell and it will definitely give us a big picture on McFadden's NFL career. Can he benefit from the same O-line that made DeMarco Murray last season's leading rusher? Only next season will tell. But overall, I wish McFadden good luck on his new team and hopefully a change of scenery will rejuvenate his career.

Rodney Hudson to Raiders Official

Though both parties came into agreement the day before free agency, the official Raiders website has confirmed that Kansas City Chiefs center, Rodney Hudson, has signed his contract with the team. Referring back to the details, Hudson's contract is up to 5 years worth $44.5 million, making him the highest paid centers in the NFL. Hudson didn't become the full time starting center until after his 2nd year after recovering from injury and has remained on the field ever since.

Looking back at this, as mentioned, Hudson was ranked #3 overall in Pro Football Focus's best centers in the league rankings while Stefen Wisniewski couldn't crack at the top 10 at best. Like I said when this deal was disclosed, it provides a huge upgrade at that center position and bolsters that O-line. Evaluating Wiz's play at center, I gotta admit, it was mediocre at best, whether Carson Palmer, Terelle Pryor, Matt Flynn, Matt McGloin, or Derek Carr was under center. Bad communication, bad snaps, committed too many holding penalties when the running game had a good gain up the middle. With a O-line consisting of Penn, Jackson, Hudson, and Austin Howard, who's moving to his natural position at right tackle, that's a pretty decent O-line to give Carr protection and potentially open up big holes for the running game.

Raiders Add LB Curtis Lofton (NO) and DT Dan Williams (ARZ)

Now these are some of the free agency signings I was going to make separate posts about. The Raiders brought these two players in for a visit yesterday and then early morning today, both Curtis Lofton and Dan Williams agreed to sign with the Raiders. Lofton is going into his 7th season and he's racked up over 800 tackles in his stints with the Falcons and the Saints and he's signed to an 3 year $18 million deal. As for Williams, he's spent 5 years with the Cardinals, racking up over 100 tackles and the terms of his deal is undisclosed, but he's scheduled to make $6 million per year with $15 million guaranteed.

These may not be big time splashes that we were expecting from Reggie McKenzie, but they provide the Raiders with some depth and fill some holes on positions that needed to be address. With the Lofton signing, I thought with signing Malcolm Smith, he would be the Raiders' starting linebacker, but they were contempt on bringing in a much proven linebacker who can be that defensive play caller. Lofton racks up a lot of tackles and I mean a lot of tackles and he's a great. A perfect replacement for Roach. Obviously, Lofton is penciled in to be the "Mike" with Moore and Mack on the outside, but since Moore is on a timetable after receiving hip surgery, the Raiders could place Malcolm Smith on the weakside for the time being since he can play all three positions. The signing of Lofton overall provides depth at the linebacker spot the Raiders have been lacking last season with multiple injuries.

As for Dan Williams, during his draft year, he was like the top-tier defensive linemen next to Ndamukong Suh. He didn't make too much of an impact until last season and this guy is just a pure run stopper. Look at the Cowboys game last season, Williams had the best game in containing Dallas' run game and their star running back, DeMarco Murray. Now, one game doesn't tell the whole career of a player, but I can see him as a primary run stopper and it makes sense considering the Raiders were horrible stopping the run, especially since teams were running up the middle all game long. You pair him with Justin Ellis in the middle, that is a brick wall running back are running into. Now this signing also signals that the Raiders are officially out of the Terrance Knighton sweepstakes. It would've been nice to add Knighton, but he wanted a lucrative offer and his play is below that. I guess that's what you expect for a player who banked on the Broncos winning the Super Bowl last season. Nonetheless, Williams is a far cry from Knighton, but he's still a good player and has a lot of years on him to develop his full potential as a 1st round pick.

Raiders 2015 Free Agency Outlook

The day before the New Year of the NFL Season. You know what that means. The NFL offseason is finally taking place! But that's tomorrow though. So good afternoon Raider Nation, welcome to the annual Raiders Free Agency Outlook as told by my personal insight, using a little research too. So let's get right into it.

Well you can take the plans of signing Ndamukong Suh and Randall Cobb and burn them. Even though free agency hasn't started yet, the past weekend was the time for the unrestricted FAs and their agents to negotiate with teams on a deal to stay with their designated team or leave for another team. Suh and Cobb were definitely top targets for the Raiders and it would've provided much help for Khalil Mack and Derek Carr. Unfortunately, Cobb agreed to re-sign with the Packers to a 4 year $40 million deal, the Raiders would've offered him much more than that, but clearly Cobb wanted to be Green Bay. As for Suh, he agreed to sign with the Miami Dolphins to a 6 year $114 million deal, making him the highest paid player at his position. Not signing Suh, I could understand that the Raiders still have to many holes to fill on this roster and though signing Suh would've been a big help to the D-line, it's just not worth it where it will cost Reggie to address the team with depth at all positions. The Randall Cobb deal was the probably that hurts more considering that he was the best receiver in the free agency class aside from Jeremy Maclin, who agreed to sign with the division rival Chiefs. However, that leaves the option to draft either Kevin White or Amari Cooper in the first round open.

Luckily today, it was reported that the Raiders have agreed to deal with Chiefs center, Rodney Hudson. According to the contract details, Hudson's deal is going to be worth $44.5 million for 5 years. A good upgrade at the position as Hudson was ranked the 3rd best center in the league according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). This signing also indicates that Stefen Wisniewski could be on his way out of Oakland. The deal's not official until tomorrow, but at least the Raiders managed to get one of their top 5 free agent priorities along with Knighton, Julius Thomas/Maclin, Cobb, and Suh.

So where do the Raiders stand right now in free agency? They have $60 million in the salary cap again plus the contractions of Tyvon Branch, Maurice Jones-Drew, and LaMarr Woodley, that puts the Raiders at like $69-70 million and they have to overpay some free agents to be on the cap floor according to the NFL collective bargaining agreement. Agreeing to sign the 3rd best center in the league for a huge amount of money is a start. I'd like the Raiders to keep addressing both the offensive line and defensive line. They're not always bright pick ups, but everything is won in the trenches. With Hudson out of the way, the next priorities for the Raiders are Terrance Knighton and Mike Iupati. Signing Iupati would solidify that O-line for a couple of years and with Knighton, imagine Pot Roast and Jelly in the middle, nobody should be running up the middle and stopping the run has been a problem for the Raiders. Pass rush is important too, but I look for the Raiders to address that in the draft if they choose not to use that 4th pick on either White or Cooper. Other notable free agents to note, Jermaine Gresham has been on the Raiders' radar. Considering that Julius Thomas could be on his way to Jacksonville, Gresham wouldn't be that bad, also Jordan Cameron is another option. Mychal Rivera is decent, but the Raiders need a tight end who can block and catch at the same time. The David Ausberry experiment was a failure and Carr needs that security blanket, especially since under Bill Musgrave, they'll be incorporating some of the Chip Kelly no-huddle offense.

This Reggie Mckenzie's redux with a lot of money to spend in the offseason again. Last year, he took an over the hill veteran approach to provide leadership in that locker room. Tuck, Penn, James Jones, they were worthy of staying. Antonio Smith, he played decent down the stretch at the DT position, but he's better off at his natural position at defensive end and being a backup. Everybody else like Tarell Brown, Rogers, MJD, Schaub, Woodley, they had no business being on the team. Hopefully with a mix of veteran and young players to add in the free agency, this long rebuilding process speeds up and adds on to the core that's being built, this time under the guise of proven head coach Jack Del Rio. Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow for signings because it will be updated constantly. I'll have a different approach in analyzing the FA period as I will have separate posts on the big signings whether it's signing a notable free agent or signing an FA to a huge contract. It's going to be an exciting time tomorrow Raider Nation. I'll see you guys then.

C-Wood Re-Signs with the Raiders

Full story: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12232425/charles-woodson-agrees-return-oakland-raiders

Well, the Raiders wasted no time waiting for the free agency period as they have announced today that they re-signed Charles Woodson to another 1-year deal. C-Wood can play until he's 40 years old if he wants to, he still has something left in the tank. Now there was one key to bring Woodson back to the Raiders and that was retaining Defensive Backs Coach, Marcus Robertson. He credited Robertson for helping him adjust to the Free Safety position and the Raiders bringing back Robertson for next season was an automatic "sure thing" for Woodson to make one more go around with the Silver and Black. I would like to see the Raiders go after a young safety (through draft or free agency) so Woodson can take him under his wing and take his spot to retire a Raider. He deserves to retire a Raider, there's no doubt about that. A true Raider until the end, welcome back C-Wood (x3)!

Jack Del Rio to Become Raiders Head Coach

After a couple of interviews to potential head coaching candidates, the Raiders have decided to go with experience rather than go for new blood as they have hired Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator and former Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach, Jack Del Rio. Del Rio brings the Raiders almost 8 years of Head Coaching experience coaching the Jaguars from 2003 till he was fired early on in the 2011 season. He has taken them to the Playoffs two times. As the Broncos Defensive Coordinator, he transformed them from a 24th rank defense previously under Dennis Allen to a top 5 defense in the last two years.

Full article: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12165283/oakland-raiders-close-hiring-jack-del-rio-head-coach

My Thoughts: I wanted this guy as Hue Jackson’s DC when Chuck Fat@$$ got fired! Oh well, that was the past. I know the reactions of this hiring: “Ugh, another defensive coordinator from Denver” or “ugh, he’s going to set up the team to fail just like Dennis Allen did” or “ugh, he sucked in Jacksonville.” First, let’s lighten it up with the relationship between Del Rio and the Raiders: 1) he’s a Bay Area native, 2) he grew up a Raiders fan, and 3) his family are season ticket holders. The thing that has us concerned about Del Rio is his track record in Jacksonville. 68-71, yeah it’s a losing statistic, but we have to remember his last two seasons in Jacksonville, the team was imploding from within, but other than that, it’s a not too shabby record. Unlike Dennis Allen’s defensive philosophy of “bend but don’t break,” Del Rio brings us a defensive philosophy of not giving offenses an inch in the ground game or in the passing game. His defenses in Denver had our number and we couldn’t run or pass for big chunks of yardage. People will bring up Super Bowl XLVIII or last Sunday’s game vs. the Colts. To be fair and honest, I thought it had to do with Denver’s “godly” offense (just because they have Peyton Manning) getting dominated by the tougher defenses of the Seahawks and the Colts. Anyway, with Del Rio’s hiring, there’s a possibility of having Mike Smith (former Falcons HC) as the DC for the Raiders. That’s a match made in heaven on the defensive side and they will turn Khalil Mack into a huge superstar. However, the offensive side is a question mark. Hopefully, he lets Sparano coach out his contract and continue being the O-line/Asst. HC for a little continuity and next, he needs to hire a really talented OC that runs an offense that fits the personnel around him, has a “run first” mentality, has a game plan ahead of time, and could further Derek Carr’s development. For me, it’s a good hire, not because of the aspect that he’s passionate for the Raiders (well some of that), but for the experience and bringing a more aggressive approach on the defensive end. With that said, Coach Del Rio, welcome home and welcome to the Raider Nation! “Just Win Baby” and “Keep Chopping Wood.”

UPDATE: The contract details for Jack Del Rio to be HC for the Raiders is reportedly a 4-year deal.

Btw... to all those delusional Bronco fans (though there are some I respect) thinking ya'll will win multiple Super Bowls with Peyton Manning, John Fox, and Del Rio. Manning's contemplating retirement, John Fox's fired, we got Del Rio, Broncos' future is totally in doubt, here's to all you guys: