<Editor'sNote: I promoted this to the front page because it is the most thought out Oakland Raider Mock Draft that I've seen. Good Job!!!>

Okay, Raiders fans, let’s step away from the coaching drama where absolutely nothing is happening and get into a little bit of premature draft talk while our media comrades discuss how much they want the current staff, including Al Davis to be out of Oakland as soon as possible.  

Just one question folks…Are you ready to talk some football?

In here, there are a few All-Americans covering some much needed positions for the Oakland Raiders.

It is s a list of very talented athletes that it took a lot of research and effort to come up with so please try to be kind with your criticisms. ;-)

While we all will be on the lookout for the most recent Oakland coaching news this afternoon, I hope we can all take some time to enjoy this article and let it give us some hope for the future.

In beginning my research on the topic, I was surprised to learn that Oakland had such a good number of draft choices. It includes a 3rd and a 5th round draft choice that was received from the Patriots in the trade for Derrick Burgess. That turned out to be a really good deal, because very few of us missed Burgess.

Fortunately for Raiders fans, the Patriots didn’t do as well as some people expected and the picks are going to give us good balance in positioning to make some nice moves in the 2010 draft.

They could also give us some trade bait if, I don’t know, we really wanted to move up and get a guy like…say…Ndamukong Suh…or somebody like that.

Obviously I know the draft will not go this way. It will likely not go anywhere near this prediction. Perhaps I can get one pick right?

However, many things stand in my way. The basis of my article, however, is to give some insight into the direction that I think the team should go when they do start selecting in late April. Keeping in mind that I believe in the idea of drafting an OT with our first pick is admitting that Mario Henderson is not the answer at Left Tackle. I do not agree that Mario is not left tackle material, he was much better with Gallery to the right of him.

The positions are the ones I think the team needs to draft. The players I selected are players who I believe are some of the best talent available for the draft positions.

So without further lecture, let’s get started!

P.S. if you wish to look up some college players for your own mock draft, I would highly recommend this site: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/

Round One Pick 8

Rolando McClain, MLB Alabama 6’4” 258 lbs.

• Midseason Sporting News All-American
• Buktus Award winner
• Lombardi Award winner
• Bednarik Award winner
• SEC Defensive Player of the Week (UK)
• Lead team with over 100 tackles                                                                                                                                                    -Five straight games with at least seven tackles

I’m a firm believer that if McClain is still on the board when Oakland picks, it would be a very stupid move not to grab him. Middle linebackers like this guy do not grow on trees, and I’m not sure anyone like him has ever laced up a set of shoes at the position in the NFL. He is the Ray Lewis that the Oakland Raiders need.

Rolando McClain anchors and deep and talented linebacker corps that has helped the Crimson Tide rank fourth nationally in total defense (242.22 ypg) and second in rush defense (68.22). Alabama held their opponents to under one hundred yards rushing eight times in 2009 with McClain in the middle of the defense.

McClain was responsible for all on-field audibles and defensive calls. He was proclaimed a midseason All-American by Sporting News. With 32 starts over his three seasons at the Capstone, McClain has a team-best 66 tackles in his nine starts in 2009.

Third on the team with seven tackles for loss and had two sacks with two interceptions. He was named the defensive player of the week by the UA coaching staff six times in the first nine games last season. McClain was named the Bronko Nagurski Award National Defensive Player of the Week following the Kentucky game.

Round Two Pick No. 39

Jon Asamoah, G, Illinois 6’5” 315 lbs.

Asamoah was named second-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media. The Illinois' rushing offense ranked 18th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten this season. Jon was named to the National Football Foundation's 16-man Scholar-Athlete team. He earned CoSIDA first-team Academic All-District honors. Asamoah was named first-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele Magazine and Academic All-Big Ten.

He started 37 consecutive games at guard on an offense that rushed for 300 or more yards on three occasions this year. Jon helped the Illini to 331 rushing yards and 548 total yards in the season finale against Fresno State. Aided the Illini offense in racking up 476 yards of total offense and Juice Williams' 282-yard passing performance at No. 5 Cincinnati. He was part of an offense that lead a 250-yard passing and four offensive touchdown performance in win over Minnesota.

In addition, he is rumored to have the fastest 40- yard dash time among all the offensive lineman and with a name like Asamoah, he’s got to have some game. That name is too close to Asomugha to not come with some game.

Round Three Pick No. 69

Kyle Wilson, CB, 5’10” 186 lbs. Boise State

Kyle was named first-team All-WAC cornerback and second-team all-conference punt returner. He was named Boise State’s co-Special Teams Player of the Year by vote of teammates. He was named to Phil Steele Publications’ All-WAC first team on defense and was a second-team selection as punt returner.

Kyle led Boise State with five interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 15 passes defended which tied for 18th best in nation. The five picks also tied for second in WAC and tied for 28th in nation. Wilson had two key interceptions in win at Oregon.

He recorded 35 tackles, 26 of which were unassisted, while returning 33 punts for 470 yards and three touchdowns. His 14.2 average yards per return was second in WAC and 12th in nation. He had a ninety-yard return against Fresno State was fourth-longest in Boise State history and a 79-yard return against Idaho that was fifth-longest. The other TD return was for 71 yards against New Mexico State. All three TD returns were in November. That means he gets better as the season goes on.

Wilson finished the season with the most punt returns for touchdowns in the nation and was named WAC Special Teams Player of Week in final week of season after piling up 136 yards on three punt returns against Fresno State. His current streak of 31 consecutive starts is longest active streak on team. He was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.

Round Three Pick No. 85 (From New England)

Vladimir Ducasse UMASS OT 6’5” 330 lbs.

• Senior captain left tackle
• 2009 Consensus Preseason First-Team All-American.
• 2009 Preseason All-CAA pick by Coaches and Phil Steele.
• In his 35 career starts, UMass has had a 100-yard rusher in 23 of those games. In his 35 games, UMass has allowed just 39 sacks.
• UMass allowed 17 sacks (1.4 per game), 38th in the NCAA, and third in CAA.
• UMass had a 100-yard rusher in seven games this season

A native of Haiti, Vladimir is an incredibly hard-working player who comes to work every day with a purpose to get better individually to make the overall team better according to Coach Morris. He has improved to become an offensive leader and a high-level player with a big upside.

Ducasse is a true senior who was a starter as a freshman. He is diverse and can also play guard, where he played early in his career. He was the team's top offensive line recruit in 2006. Vladimir is a large offensive lineman and great athlete who has done extensive work with Offensive Coordinator Brian Picucci to improve his game and has reportedly reached that next level.

Round Four Pick No. 103

Torrell Troup, DT, Central Florida, 6’3” 314 lbs.

Troup was voted onto the All-Conference USA 2nd team in 2009. “Coaches look at stats instead of looking at everything else on tape, and I think Torrell got caught up in that,” UCF head coach George O'Leary said. "I think he's the reason those other guys that made first team made it. There were two guys on him all the time.”

He had 12.5 tackles for loss, totaling 52 tackles with 30 of them coming solo. Troup started his college career at 345 lbs., but slimmed down to his current playing weight of 314 lbs. over his four seasons. Troup is considered to be the heart of the UCF football team and could be their hardest player to replace in the off-season.

“I think he is a very unselfish player that works at the game and has a great sense of responsibility and accountability to do what needs to be done to win,” said coach O’Leary.

He is a strong student, football player, and leader with a bright NFL future. 

Round 5 pick No. 134

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (DII), 6’1” 205 lbs.

Born in Ghana, Africa, Akwasi suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder in the final game of the season. In spite of the injury, however, Owusu-Ansah has a four year body of work that has garnered him some national attention.
Various websites rank him as a 2nd to 4th round draft choice this year, but I’m reaching out and saying that teams will pass on him, as he is unlikely to be able to lace up his cleats at the NFL combine in February.

But that hasn’t stopped Al Davis from knowing a steal when he sees one before. Take the ’07 4th round pick Michael Bush for an example. If Akwasi is here early in the fifth round Al Davis may trade up to get him.

He is one of those underrated players from a small school who could do big things as a pro. Davis could see him as a potential shut-down cornerback to play opposite of Nnmadi Asomugha in his man-to-man defense.

In addition to his coverage skills, he has scored nine return touchdowns in his college career, including three kickoffs and four punts. “Nobody can argue about his height, nobody can argue about his weight, and nobody can argue about his speed,” said IUP head coach Lou Tepper.

Round 5 pick No. 156 (From New England)

Chris Hall, Center, Texas, 6’4” 298 lbs.

Hall was named a 2009 third-team All-American by the associated Press. He is a 2009 AFCA coaches All-American as well. Chris is a four-time Academic All-Big 12. He is a four-time member of the Texas Athletic Director’s honor roll and an active member in the school’s community service program.

The fifth year senior started 35 games for the Longhorns in his college career. He was a finalist for the Remington Award (NCAA’s Best Center) for the second straight season. Hall is the offensive line’s signal caller in the nation’s third ranked scoring offense.

Hall started at all five positions on the O-Line for Texas during his sophomore year at Texas until finding a home at center late in that same year.

Hall has issues in one-on-one situations, like when he faced Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy and even against other defensive tackles. Quicker tackles are said to be able to shed him quickly and get to the next level. But in Oakland, there are a lot of 3-4 defenses in the division, so he could be a value pick for the Raiders late in the fifth round.

Round Seven Pick No. 200

QB Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic, 6’5” 230 Lbs.

• 2008 Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year
• Two time SBC Player of the Week.
• Palm Beach County Amateur Athlete of the Year                                                                                                                        • 2007 Sun Belt Player of the Year
• Mid-Season Phil Steele's Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference Selection
• Four-Time SBC Offensive Player of the Week
• New Orleans Bowl MVP (2008) 
• 21st nationally in passing efficiency (141.63, 2007)
• 29th nationally in total offense (274.77, 2007)  • Team was No. 16 in passing offense

Rusty Smith is three year starter and, in my opinion, a highly underrated quarterback who could become the next guy talked about as that guy who was drafted late and showed up big time for his NFL team.

He suffered a sprained AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder in November, but his coach, Howard Schellenberger intends on bringing the big quarterback with him when he coaches in the Texas versus the Nation game in February so that attending NFL scouts can get a look at the quarterback.

Smith is the most decorated player in the history of the FAU program. It is the same program that produced fan-favorite MLB Frantz Joseph. Smith started 36 consecutive games for FAU and is the Sun Belt conferences all-time leader in career and single season passing yardage as well as touchdown passes, throwing for over 10,000 yards and 76 touchdowns in his career.

Al Davis should draft Smith to be his quarterback of the future and give him a chance to work with the great offensive coaches Ted Tollner and Paul Hackett.

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