Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com put together grades for all 32 NFL teams’ performance in the 2011 NFL Draft, and his grade for the Raiders leaves me scratching my head a little bit. Prisco gave the Raiders a C in spite of apparently liking several of their picks.
Best pick: I love third-round pick Joseph Barksdale. He played left tackle at LSU, but will play the right side or guard for the Raiders.
Questionable move: Taking DeMarcus Van Dyke in the third round is a risk. He has great speed, but he is thin. But then again, Al Davis loves speed.
Third-day gem: Fourth-round corner Chimdi Chekwa is a real steal. He will be a better player than Van Dyke.
Analysis: They traded their first-round pick to get Richard Seymour, so they had to wait until the second round. In typical Davis fashion, they took a lot of speed and tough guys.
Grade: C
I have to think he was grading them down because he didn’t like some of their height, weight, speed guys. Or maybe he just really doesn’t like DeMarcus Van Dyke. I actually think he could be correct in his assessment that fourth round pick Chimdi Chekwa could end up being better than Van Dyke. I was actually talking to a friend of mine Saturday night after the draft and he is a big Raiders fan. He was basically saying the same thing as Prisco about Chekwa.
I am curious to see how many grades will be willing to factor in the fact that Richard Seymour is almost a member of this draft class. He cost the Raiders their first round pick, but given how solid he has been, he’s likely better than whatever they would have received in the first round. He cost them a pretty penny to acquire, but he’s been a beast for them on the defensive line.