By Nolan Nawrocki
April 9, 2008

PFW personnel analyst Nolan Nawrocki will post "The Way We Hear It — draft edition" Tuesday through Thursday every week preceding the NFL draft.

Raiders owner Al Davis and Arkansas RB Darren McFadden

The Raiders have a loaded backfield featuring Justin Fargas, LaMont Jordan, Dominic Rhodes and Michael Bush. It defies logic, with Davis long having been a need-oriented decision maker, that the Raiders would select a running back with the fourth overall selection, especially after Lane Kiffin showed he could pound the ball with an anemic offensive line as the Raiders finished sixth in the NFL in rushing offense.

“Al Davis is never going to double-load a position,” a Raiders source told PFW. “I can’t see how he would take a running back.”

No one ever truly knows what Davis will do, given his impulsive decision-making style. He has been anything but logical in his quest to reach one final Super Bowl and go out on top, with league office sources saying he recently sold a five percent stake in the team to fund extremely lucrative deals for DT Tommy Kelly, S Gibril Wilson, WR Javon Walker and CB DeAngelo Hall, which, when combined with the team’s other offseason additions, have totaled more than $250 million in contracts, $50 million of which is guaranteed. 

Davis has long subscribed to the “power on wheels” theory of drafting and always has sought out elite athletic ability. It should come as no surprise, then, that the other prospect inside sources say is competing with McFadden for Davis' attention is Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston, a rare physical specimen shredded with muscle who can jump through the roof and fly off the edge.

The Raiders have a greater need on their defensive line than in the backfield, but Davis’ recent history of drafting Buckeyes is said to have left a bad taste in his mouth. He drafted TE Rickey Dudley with the ninth overall pick in 1996, and Dudley fizzled with the Raiders.

“(Davis) has been down on Ohio State players since Dudley did not pan out,” a Raiders insider said. “I don’t see Vernon Gholston going with the fourth pick. He does not play square enough.”

Davis did have success with Jack Tatum, whom he drafted out of Ohio State with the 19th overall pick in 1971, and could improve the defense considerably by ramping up a pass rush that has lost Tyler Brayton and Warren Sapp. The Raiders did recently sign Kalimba Edwards, however, and return Derrick Burgess to the lineup.

The way we hear it, the likelihood of Davis passing on a potential impact player like McFadden has become minimal and makes even more sense when the RB group is evaluated more closely. Bush is unproven and injury-prone. Rhodes restructured his contract early in March and is not a lock to remain in Oakland after being underutilized in his first year in Oakland. Jordan is coming off a serious back injury. And Fargas has never been able to stay healthy, having been most ideal in a No. 2 role.  

With a history of off-field concerns, McFadden should fit well in a renegade locker room. McFadden could force defenses to stack the box, drawing more single coverage for Javon Walker and giving the offense a big jolt. A big-time threat like McFadden should only ease the development of QB JaMarcus Russell, who will be expected to make a big jump in his development in his first year as a starter.

Despite leading the nation with 23 fumbles over the past three years, making questionable decisions off the field and being surrounded by a big family from a gang-infested town that has repeatedly helped him find trouble, McFadden no longer appears headed for the free fall some NFL evaluators thought he might experience.

2008 Draft Preview

If you would like to read more about the players who are about to enter the April 26-27 NFL draft, Pro Football Weekly has two publications that will fit the bill — the 2008 Draft Preview book and the 2008 Draft Guide.

The 200-page 2008 Draft Preview book, which sells for $19.95, contains detailed scouting reports on nearly 500 prospects with each player's height, weight, 40-time, positives and negatives. You'll also get our rankings of more than 900 draft prospects and a breakdown of each NFL team's needs, by position. Written by PFW personnel analyst Nolan Nawrocki and the editors of PFW, the Draft Preview book is widely recognized as the "bible of the draft." Books are now ready to be shipped. 

2008 Draft Guide

Meanwhile, hot off the presses, the 2008 Draft Guide is a 152-page magazine that sells for $6.99, showcasing feature stories on Arkansas RB Darren McFadden and the secret to drafting success, a sleeper watch, a fantasy forecast and more. In addition, you'll find scouting reports on more than 350 players, draft previews for all 32 teams (including each club's top five areas of need and a "hot list" of prospects who fit the team's schemes) and rankings of the prospects by position. 

The 2008 Draft Guide is available now at newsstands and bookstores throughout the country. Both of the above publications can be ordered now from the PFW store. You will receive a discount if you purchase both the 2008 Draft Preview book and the 2008 Draft Guide magazine from the PFW store with our Combo-Pack offer.

Related Articles:

Links to our online draft coverage