This pick and analysis was written by CSC member Big and Easy. Thank you very much for your participation!
With the seventh pick in the Canal Street Chronicles community mock draft, the Oakland Raiders select...
Michael Oher, OT, University of Mississippi
The Raiders, as we all know, are the very definition of disfunctional in the NFL. After many memorable years with great coaches like John Madden and John Gruden and star players like Marcus Allen, Ken Stabler (also a Saint), and Bo Jackson, the Raiders have fallen to the laughing stock section of the league. The fault of this decline sits solely in the lap of owner Al Davis. With that said, there is absolutely no way to predict who this future mental patient will pick at #7, if the men in the white coats don't pick him up first.
If in the actual draft Al Davis doesn't trade up, which he is known for doing, Oakland should choose the best OT on the board which should be Michael Oher from Ole Miss. Last season Kwame Harris was benched in favor of the inexperienced second year player Mario Henderson, while 10 year veteran Cornell Green played as well as could be expected. Oakland needs starters. They need to draft players that can start and play well in 2009. They do not have the roster that affords them the time to groom a player like some of the other more talented teams like New England or the Giants.Oher, at 6 foot 5 inches and 310 lbs. shows an elite ability to lead block on outside runs, quick feet, and knee & hip flexibility to block with leverage. He is a freak when it comes to the weight room and his intensity carries over onto the field. Conditioning is what, in my eyes, put Oher ahead in this draft over possible front runners like Alabama's Andre Smith or Virginia's Eugene Monroe. I had the pleasure of personally watching Oher his entire career at Ole Miss. He is a beast and will give the Raiders a starter the first year and a Pro Bowler at the OT position for years to come.I do understand that I will not make everybody happy with this pick.
Oakland has many holes and they need to use every pick wisely, don't trade up for fewer picks and don't take players with baggage. Al Davis will do none of this and that is why they have the team that they have today.Somewhere in this years draft they will need a safety. The new coach, Tom Cable, lost safety Rashad Baker to Philly via free agency and cut safety Gabril Wilson who was later picked up by Miami and should therefore take advantage of getting a star player at a lower draft pick from Western Michigan in Louis Delmas. Delmas is a small school player but has emerged as my top prospect at the safety position, beating out Mississippi State's Derek Pegues. Delmas has the size (5'11", 197 lbs.) and the speed (4.54 40-yard) to make a smart, play off the ball, hard hitter with great closing ability. He is best know for his infectious tackling and getting his teammates fired up. The Raiders need people in every position, but more than that, they need leaders on both sides of the ball that can help in the locker room and bring chemistry to an otherwise directionless team.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are now on the clock...