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Everyone seems to say draft grades immediately following a draft are silly and yet everyone wants to know how their team grades out. Mel Kiper obliges, as do many other draft analysts, and then a year later, puts out a re-grade based on what he has seen thus far from the draft class.
Here is what that draft class looked like:
| Round | Pick | Position | Player | College |
| 1 | 12 | CB | D.J. Hayden | Houston |
| 2 | 42 | T | Menelik Watson | Florida State |
| 3 | 66 | LB | Sio Moore | Connecticut |
| 4 | 112 | QB | Tyler Wilson | Arkansas |
| 6 | 172 | TE | Nick Kasa | Colorado |
| 6 | 181 | RB | Latavius Murray | Central Florida |
| 6 | 184 | TE | Mychal Rivera | Tennessee |
| 6 | 205 | DT | Stacy McGee | Oklahoma |
| 7 | 209 | WR | Brice Butler | San Diego State |
| 7 | 233 | DE | David Bass | Missouri Western |
Immediately following the draft, Kiper gave the Raiders draft a reasonably favorable grade of B minus.
Now, after their rookie seasons under their belt, he has lowered that grade slightly. Now he gives them a C grade. Here is the reasoning he gives:
The big sticking point for me with the Raiders' draft is the fact that they held the No. 3 overall pick when it started, and I was concerned they didn't assure themselves a quality starter. I noted then: "The Raiders were smart to move down, but I'm a little surprised they took D.J. Hayden at No. 12 overall. I knew he could go that high, but I still consider it a bit of a risk." Also: "I think the Raiders didn't get enough out of what started as a No. 3 pick, but they got better this weekend. Not bad." But it looks worse today, because given the state of the roster, I'd have thought they'd know more about this class by now. Hayden landed on IR with a sports hernia, but was just OK when he played. Moore was a pick I really liked and is probably the bright spot of the class. Rivera can be a good player, and the Raiders also get credit for getting some decent play out of Matt McGloin, but it's not like that QB situation is settled. The Raiders got some players, but not enough back for picking at No. 3, and the jury is still out in most spots.
Yes, yes, I know it may be too early to give a grade on a class that has played just their rookie season. But it is never too early to have an opinion. With that in mind, what do you think about this new C grade?
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