The Oakland Raiders have received rather underwhelming draft grades from all of the big name draft analysts. However, the majority of these analysts note the fact that part of the reason the grade is so bad is due to the fact that the Raiders did not have picks in the first two rounds of the 2012 NFL draft. Thus, it has been rather hard to gauge exactly how well the Raiders new general manager, Reggie McKenzie, did with his first ever draft.
On Thursday, however, ESPN's AFC West blogger, Bill Williamson posted some comments from Scouts Inc.'s Steve Muench about the Oakland Raiders first two draft picks of the 2012 NFL draft, offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom and linebacker Miles Burris.
"(Oakland general manager) Reggie McKenzie didn’t have a lot to work with, but he did some good things. Bergstrom is a guard or a tackle who will be a starter some day. He is a solid player. Burris is a guy I like. He is a heat-seeking missile, who creates a lot of explosion when he hits people."
Those are some really positive reviews of the Raiders first two picks. Anytime you can find a guy in the third round that could be a starter one day is a great find. On top of that, Burris, who is one of my favorite picks of the draft, comes off sounding like a real impact player, something the Raiders have been missing on their defense.