Wasted Draft Picks for Oakland Raiders
By Michael Schneid
There was a lot of talk last week about bad franchises and bad decisions, when the Cleveland Browns traded their 2012 3rd overall pick, Trent Richardson, to the Colts for a 2014 first round pick.
The Browns have a new regime in charge and want to do things their way, which is often the case in today's NFL. But you have to be smart about things.
In 2011, the Raiders acquired Carson Palmer from the Bengals. Than-head coach Hue Jackson and Palmer knew each other well from their time together in Cincinnati. After 2011 season, Jackson was fired.
The Bengals acquired two picks from Oakland for Palmer. In 2012, they used a first round pick on CB Dre Kirkpatrick and used their 2013 second round pick on RB Giovani Bernard. Both of those picks, if not those players, could be making a huge impact in Oakland right now.
The Raiders thought highly enough of Matt Flynn, who started one game with Green Bay in 2011 and lost the QB job to Russell Wilson in training camp in Seattle in 2012, to trade a 5th round pick to Seattle for him. However, Flynn was terrible in training camp this year and Terrelle Pryor won the job.
Pryor was Al Davis' final draft pick, a 2011 Supplemental pick, which meant the Raiders would forfeit their 2012 third round pick. So Oakland was without a first and third round pick in 2012 ad without their second and fifth in 2013.
In a way you ca say they were without a fourth round pick in 2013 as well, as the Raiders drafted Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson. The pick was wasted because Wilson was released during final cuts right before the regular season.
During 2013 pre-season the Raiders carried four QBs - Flynn (2013 5th rounder), Wilson (2013 4th rounder), Pryor (2012 3rd rounder), and Matt McGloin (undrafted).
To summarize the Raiders recent QB moves
It's bad enough that they spent a 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks on their current group of QBs but they spent a first and second on a guy who currently plays in Arizona. The Raiders have essentially used an entire draft (rounds 1-5) on QB trades the last two years.
When you look up and down the Raiders roster and you see a lack of talent, few offensive playmakers, defensive deficiencies, don't just rush to judgment that it's coaches fault. This is an organization that is still a mess. All these wasted and traded picks have set the Raiders rebuilding plans back a few years.
Meanwhile, Matt McGloin, might be the best Quarterback of anyone mentioned. And he was an undrafted rookie free agent from Penn State, who is currently the backup QB to Pryor.
Whether current GM Reggie McKenzie is the one to clean this up remains a big question in Oakland.
There was a lot of talk last week about bad franchises and bad decisions, when the Cleveland Browns traded their 2012 3rd overall pick, Trent Richardson, to the Colts for a 2014 first round pick.
The Browns have a new regime in charge and want to do things their way, which is often the case in today's NFL. But you have to be smart about things.
In 2011, the Raiders acquired Carson Palmer from the Bengals. Than-head coach Hue Jackson and Palmer knew each other well from their time together in Cincinnati. After 2011 season, Jackson was fired.
The Bengals acquired two picks from Oakland for Palmer. In 2012, they used a first round pick on CB Dre Kirkpatrick and used their 2013 second round pick on RB Giovani Bernard. Both of those picks, if not those players, could be making a huge impact in Oakland right now.
The Raiders thought highly enough of Matt Flynn, who started one game with Green Bay in 2011 and lost the QB job to Russell Wilson in training camp in Seattle in 2012, to trade a 5th round pick to Seattle for him. However, Flynn was terrible in training camp this year and Terrelle Pryor won the job.
Pryor was Al Davis' final draft pick, a 2011 Supplemental pick, which meant the Raiders would forfeit their 2012 third round pick. So Oakland was without a first and third round pick in 2012 ad without their second and fifth in 2013.
In a way you ca say they were without a fourth round pick in 2013 as well, as the Raiders drafted Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson. The pick was wasted because Wilson was released during final cuts right before the regular season.
During 2013 pre-season the Raiders carried four QBs - Flynn (2013 5th rounder), Wilson (2013 4th rounder), Pryor (2012 3rd rounder), and Matt McGloin (undrafted).
To summarize the Raiders recent QB moves
- 2012 First Round (Carson Palmer)
- 2013 Second Round (Carson Palmer)
- 2012 Third Round (Terrell Pryor)
- 2013 Fourth Round (Tyler Wilson)
- 2013 Fifth Round (Matt Flynn)
It's bad enough that they spent a 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks on their current group of QBs but they spent a first and second on a guy who currently plays in Arizona. The Raiders have essentially used an entire draft (rounds 1-5) on QB trades the last two years.
When you look up and down the Raiders roster and you see a lack of talent, few offensive playmakers, defensive deficiencies, don't just rush to judgment that it's coaches fault. This is an organization that is still a mess. All these wasted and traded picks have set the Raiders rebuilding plans back a few years.
Meanwhile, Matt McGloin, might be the best Quarterback of anyone mentioned. And he was an undrafted rookie free agent from Penn State, who is currently the backup QB to Pryor.
Whether current GM Reggie McKenzie is the one to clean this up remains a big question in Oakland.
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