Sunday, March 15, 2009

No Logo Needed Mock Draft--7th Pick

Next up in the No Logo Needed Mock Draft is Oakland Raiders, looking once again, for a player that can snap them out of their post-Gruden funk. Luckily for the Raiders (at least in this draft) Zombie Al Davis isn't the one making the pick--the folks from Silver and Black Pride are.

With the 7th pick in the No Logo Needed Mock Draft, the Oakland Raiders select:

Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, Missouri



The Oakland Raiders have several needs for which they need to address including the offensive / defensive lines, wide receiver, linebacker and safety. With the two elite offensive tackles already off the board, the Raiders go with what some scouts peg as the top wide receiver in the draft Jeremy Maclin. Though Crabtree possess incredible talent, the Raiders love Maclin's elite speed, better known as "Raider Speed" in Al Davis speak. For the Raiders, with Javon Walker's health and reliability always a concern, they have no true # 1 wide receiver. The Raiders leading wide receiver last season was Johnnie Lee Higgins with 22 receptions for 366 yards. That just isn't going to cut it and opposing defenses are going to know that the Raiders will run first and often which will make them very predictable. Maclin's speed is the perfect antidote for that as he will stretch the field and allow strong-armed quarterback JaMarcus Russell to air it out and keep defenses honest. The Raiders were ranked dead last in passing offense last season and with the youth movement underway in Oakland, Maclin becomes a key piece of the Raiders future.

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