Well, both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper released their latest 2011 NFL Mock Drafts yesterday, and we took a look at how the 49ers did in that vein yesterday. Well, the Oakland Raiders didn't have a first round pick, so they've been excluded from many mocks that only went through picks one-through-thirty-two, but in these three-round mocks, we get a good idea of the "draft gurus" see it playing out when it comes to the Bay's other team.
Todd McShay seems to have the best feel for the Raiders' potential needs, and his selections are below:
2. Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
3. Virgil Green, TE, Nevada
While Mel Kiper had the Raiders going a slightly different route in the second and third rounds:
2. Clint Boling, OL, Georgia
3. Chimdi Chekwa, CB, Ohio St.
I think it's obvious that the Raiders come out looking better in Todd McShay's mock, as Jimmy Smith is probably a first round cornerback who fell. I imagine McShay thinks that Smith's character concerns are enough to keep him out of the first round, but it appears that Oakland will take a chance on him. He could immediately come in and either start at the second corner spot, or fill the hole that Nnamdi Asomugha wold potentially leave if he left in free agency. On the flip-side to that is Virgil Green, who would also slide into a probably starting role if tight end Zach Miller departs for free agency.
Boling would be a good choice for Oakland in Kiper's mock, but I think there are better corners on the board in the third round, and I think the corners available in the second are better picks than Boling at that point, as well. I wonder if Kiper just thought Chimdi Chekwa was weirder sounding than Nnamdi Asomugha, and he's just severely underestimating the intelligence of the people running the Raiders' draft. Who knows?