Raiders Labeled Gronk Best Player In 2010 Draft
- Not exactly known as a savvy drafting organization at the dawn of this decade, the Raiders were apparently ahead of the curve on the player who may be the best offensive talent in the game today. An Oakland scout called Rob Gronkowski the “best all-around player” in that draft class, as a Reddit user, /u/Mattyuh, obtained the Raiders’ 2010 draft binder (h/t USAToday.com). The Raiders, who don’t have anyone left from a draft that included Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston and Jared Veldheer, took McClain in the first round but saw the then-injury-prone Arizona tight end go to the Patriots at No. 42 — two spots before their selected Houston. The Raiders’ scouting reports on Dez Bryant, Earl Thomas and Demaryius Thomas are also included in this interesting unearthing.
Raiders Notes: Edwards, Tarver
Free agent linebacker Lamarr Woodley offered scathing reviews of two of his former defensive coordinators, the Cardinals’ James Bettcher and ex-Raiders assistant Jason Tarver (now with San Francisco), on the latest edition of his podcast (per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic).
Woodley didn’t play in the title round (or any Cardinals game beyond Nov. 22) because he was on injured reserve. The 31-year-old appeared in just 16 contests over the previous two seasons with the Raiders and Cardinals, combining for 15 tackles and a sack. Woodley was a far more productive player from 2007-13 in Pittsburgh, with which he piled up 58 sacks.
- Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards has been given medical clearance to resume his career, he announced Friday on Instagram (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). A serious neck injury brought a premature end to Edwards’ rookie campaign after he had started in 10 of 14 appearances and tallied three forced fumbles and two sacks. For his work last season, the second-rounder from Florida State ranked an impressive 32nd out of 110 qualifying edge defenders at Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Update On Clive Walford
- Raiders tight end Clive Walford suffered a knee injury in an ATV accident earlier this offseason, as Mike Garafolo and Peter Schrager of FOX Sports write. Walford will miss spring practices and is expected to be back during training camp. The 2015 third-round pick gave everyone in the Oakland front office a big scare at first, but the injury is not as bad as many believed at the outset, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Over his last 12 games last season, Walford caught 27 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to that, Walford had a bit of a slow start thanks to a bothersome hamstring.
- Two NFL general managers partially blamed Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio for Connor Cook‘s slide in the draft, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The MSU coach limits scouts’ access during practice which arguably made it more difficult for NFL teams to get a good sense of what the quarterback had to offer. Scouts particularly wanted to get a glance at how Cook interacts with his teammates and when they couldn’t see that in practice, they were forced to go off of hearsay. That slide probably benefitted the Raiders, who managed to draft Cook in the fourth round.
Raiders Won’t Exercise D.J. Hayden’s Option
The Raiders are not expected to use their fifth-year option for cornerback D.J. Hayden, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It was long anticipated that the Raiders would decline the option on Hayden’s 2017 season. 
The Raiders probably didn’t have a hard time pondering Hayden’s $8.03MM option given his performance. However, with Hayden potentially not in the team’s plans beyond this season, it is a little surprising to see that GM Reggie McKenzie did not tap a corner in this year’s draft.
As of this writing, Hayden is likely slated to be the No. 4 cornerback on the Raiders’ depth chart in 2016. The Raiders group of corners also includes new addition Sean Smith, David Amerson, and Travis Carrie.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Raiders Likely To Decline D.J. Hayden's Fifth-Year Option
- During his post-draft press conference Saturday night, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie declined to tip his hand as to whether the club will pick up D.J. Hayden‘s fifth-year option, but as Jimmy Durkin of The Bay Area News Group points out, the team will almost certainly decline the $8.03MM option, thereby allowing Hayden to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2016 season. Durkin admits it was somewhat surprising that Oakland did not draft a corner over the past couple of days, as the Raiders are still thin at the position even after signing Sean Smith. The Raiders’ approach suggests that they expect Hayden to provide quality depth as a fourth corner, but he will have to prove himself in a big way in 2016 to remain with the club (and to remain in the league, for that matter).
Draft Notes: Cowboys, Dolphins, Broncos
With the fourth round nearly halfway done, let’s check in on some draft whispers from around the league…
- The Cowboys‘ gameplan for the second round was to select Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and then move up and select Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Ogbah was ultimately selected by the Browns with the first pick of the second round, and Dallas snagged Smith two picks later.
- NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport says there was a general belief that the Cowboys would select quarterback Connor Cook with pick No. 101, leading to the Raiders‘ acquisition of the 100th pick. Meanwhile, Rapoport notes that Oakland is planning on keeping Matt McGloin and allowing the two quarterbacks to compete for the back-up job.
- According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter), the Dolphins slapped Leonte Carroo with a “second-round grade.” Miami ended up snagging the Rutgers wideout late in the third round.
- If Laremy Tunsil hadn’t been around at No. 13, the Dolphins would have selected UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Eli Apple, who was selected 10th overall, was also under consideration for the pick.
- Speaking of Tunsil, ESPN’s Adam Schefter determined how much money the offensive lineman actually lost on Thursday evening (via Twitter). The Ravens were prepared to select the embattled University of Mississippi product with the sixth-overall pick, but Tunsil ended up falling to No. 13. Schefter estimates that the rookie lost nearly $7MM after having fallen eight spots.
- The Broncos are fielding calls on several of their picks, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The team has a compensatory fourth-round pick (which can’t be traded), as well as two fifth-round selections.
Raiders Acquire 100th Pick From Browns
The Raiders have acquired the second pick of the fourth round, 100th overall, from the Browns, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Oakland used the pick to select Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook. Cleveland will receive picks No. 114 and 154, according to Vic Tafur (via Twitter).
Cook was widely regarded as the best quarterback available entering Saturday’s portion of the draft. Despite finishing last season with 3,131 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, the senior saw a drastic drop in his draft stock.
Cook entered the season as one of the top-rated quarterback prospects, but question marks surrounding his attitude led to the free fall. Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg (Jets), North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett (Patriots) and Southern Cal’s Cody Kessler (Browns) were among the signal-callers to seemingly pass Cook.
Cook doesn’t have a clear role with Oakland, as starting quarterback Derek Carr showed real improvements during his second year in the league.
McDonald: Raiders Eyeing RBs on Saturday
- The Raiders “big target” on day three will be a running back, tweets Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune.
[SOURCE LINK]
AFC Rumors: Broncos, Wilkerson, Ravens, Fins
Having traded up on Thursday night to nab Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, the Broncos may now be in a better position to negotiate a long-term deal with star pass rusher Von Miller, suggests Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Lynch’s rookie contract will likely call for cap hits that range from about $1.7MM in 2016 to $3MM by his fourth year in 2019, meaning Denver may not have much money tied up in the quarterback position for the next few years. While a Broncos source who spoke to Cole cautioned that the team still needs to make sure it has room to extend players like wideout Emmanuel Sanders and linebacker Brandon Marshall, there’s some optimism between the team and Miller’s camp that a long-term pact can eventually be reached.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Jets have in fact fielded calls on Muhammad Wilkerson in recent weeks, but no serious suitors emerged, according to sources who spoke with Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. On Thursday night, GM Mike Maccagnan confirmed that a Wilkerson deal is now unlikely.
- Kevin Byrne of BaltimoreRavens.com takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Ravens‘ process last night as their No. 6 pick approached, including how the Laremy Tunsil video affected the team’s decision. Meanwhile, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald examines the thinking of the team that did take Tunsil, at No. 13: the Dolphins.
- The NFL’s stance on having a franchise in Las Vegas is “evolving,” per commissioner Roger Goodell, but Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears that the league still wouldn’t want a team like the Raiders to have any part-owners who have a stake in a Vegas casino.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com explores the Browns‘ day-one draft decisions, noting that plenty of execs around the league are skeptical about the team’s approach and the selection of Baylor wideout Corey Coleman.
- Houston defensive tackle Tomme Mark got calls from the Chargers and Raiders and has drawn interest from Texans as a late-rounder or a priority free agent, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Texans Wanted Karl Joseph
The Texans were extremely high on West Virginia safety Karl Joseph and wanted to find a way to grab him last night, according to sources who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT. However, the Raiders beat Houston to the punch when they selected Joseph with the No. 14 overall pick. Ultimately, the Texans wound up moving from No. 22 to No. 21 and selecting Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller. 
[RELATED: 2016 Round 1 NFL Draft Results]
Leading up to the draft, it was widely reported that Joseph would be taken in the first round, despite a torn ACL he suffered in 2015. Joseph had strong grades from talent evaluators, but few expected the WVU product to go so high in the draft. When the Raiders snagged the safety at No. 14, they likely disappointed a handful of other teams in addition to the Texans.
Joseph may miss the first few weeks of the 2016 season as he rehabs from his injury, but the Raiders certainly won’t mind waiting. In 2014, Joseph’s last full season, the safety racked up 82 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, one interception, three pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.
If the Texans are still thinking safety, players like Vonn Bell (Ohio State), T.J. Green (Clemson), and Darian Thompson (Boise State) could be considerations in Day 2 of the draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.