The Oakland Raiders have finally made their first pick in the 2012 NFL draft and they did not go the way that many expected them to. GIven the Raiders need for interior defensive lineman and run stoppers in general, and with Josh Chapman on the board, many expected the big defensive tackle to be the newest member of the Silver and Black. Instead, Reggie McKenzie went for an interior lineman on the other side of the ball, taking Tony Bergstrom out of Utah.
Bergstrom played tackle in college, but most have projected him to move inside to guard at the next level. Bergstrom has good size standing at 6'6 and weighing in at 315 pounds, but he lacks the quickness that is often associated with the zone blocking scheme that the Raiders plan on implementing.
Given that fact, it is possible that McKenzie plans on bucking the system and sees Bergstrom as a tackle at the next level. The Raiders have a much bigger need at tackle than they do at guard. While Jared Veldheer is holding down the left tackle spot, Khalif Barnes is the best the Raiders have at right tackle, and that is not very good. Meanwhile, they signed free agent Mike Brisiel who excels in the zone blocking system and have a more than capable player in Cooper Carlisle. Either way, it will be interesting to see what McKenzie does with Bergstrom and whether or not he can push Barnes or Carlisle for a starting position.