Seriously Al Davis?

In true Al Davis fashion, the Oakland Raiders' controversial owner selected Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey with the 7th overall pick simply because of his 4.3 speed which was tops at the NFL Combine, shocking everyone. In retrospect though, it's really not that surprising given his obsession for speed with his draft picks. Drafting Arkansas RB Darren McFadden when his running back corps was already very solid is another example of his preference of speed to talent and need when it comes to making picks. McFadden was one of the best overall players in the draft though so that move was not a bad one.

This year's pick is different though. Receiver was the biggest need for the Raiders and most expected Michael Crabtree or possibly Jeremy Maclin, given his speed, would be selected, but this was unfortunately not the case. What was most shocking is that Maclin's 4.4 combine speed, and faster game speed, was not explosive enough for his Raiders. If he wants to develop QB Jamarcus Russell and make sure he does not become a bust, he needs to pick the best receiver there is in the draft, and preferably someone who can transition his game into the NFL quickly, or in other words Michael Crabtree. Heyward-Bey's deep threat style will complement Russell's immensly strong arm, but Michael Crabtree may be the best receiving prospect to enter the draft this decade and would undoubtedly help with Russell's development.

Speed is something that cannot be taught, but history has proven that teaching receivers to develop hands and physicality is also something very difficult to teach. Just ask Troy Williamson and Peter Warrick, respectively, about those aspects in receiving. Heyward-Bey may be the biggest gamble in the whole draft given his boom or bust potential. At this point, Davis has gone all in with his chips and will either benefit greatly or (most likely) fail miserably with this QB-WR combination.