Just one more day remains until the 2007 NFL Draft. Thank God!! I cover sports for a living....but I'm about spent on hearing about the draft. Yes, it's intriguing....but it's vastly blown out of proportion. I'm tired of the words "projected, upside, mock, etc."
LSU's JaMarcus Russell appears the odds-on-favorite to go #1 to the Raiders. Oakland desperately needs help at every offensive position. But does being able to throw the ball 70 yards on your knees really matter? Russell is a physical freak. He can do things that defy logic. Prior to the Sugar Bowl, Russell was barely sniffing the first round. Did that one game set him that much higher than Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn? Russell is a project....and the Raiders need help NOW!! If you ask me, Oakland should take Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson....dump Randy Moss....take a guy like Trent Edwards, John Beck, or Drew Stanton at the top of round 2....and move on from there. Do that....or trade down a few spots to select Quinn who is ready to step in right away. It's logic that the Raiders don't get. They passed on Matt Leinart last year and are regretting that now. If Oakland does take Russell....I hope they have better luck than the last "Russell" they selected that high (see USC's Darrell Russell).
Big Al doesn't like selecting QB's high....in fact, he usually opts to snatch up guys via free-agency. Whatever move is made at the top of this weekends draft will drastically affect every other team in the top-10. It's finally here....so let's get it going....and move forward.