When you have the first pick in the draft, its hard to have a bad outcome, but the Raiders didn't do anything special either. Russell was the obvious choice, but kind of by default. They needed a quarterback so desperately that they were forced into taking a guy they didn't really want. They would have been far better off by selecting Leinart last year, and then getting Calvin Johnson this time around. Miller was a good second round pickup. They've been looking for a tight end that can be a threat in the receiving game for a few years and he'll fill that void. I like their pick of Moses in the third round. He was better suited for a 3-4 defense, but he'll still be an effective pass rusher without having too much pressure to perform in Oakland's 4-3 scheme. They reached for Mario Henderson. He's a good athlete for a lineman, but he'll never be a dominant starter. Higgins is a decent selection, although I think his future will only be as a return specialist. I love the selection of Michael Bush in the 4th round. There's very little risk involved at that point, and he could still prove to be the first round quality running back that everyone expected before the season started. John Bowie was a slight reach. He's an athlete, but still very raw. They also reached for RIchardson, although he fits their system well and should be a solid backup. I like Frampton a lot. He's a tough, physical safety and at the very least he'll be a nice special teams contributor. They reached again for O'Neal and I think both he and Holland will struggle to make the roster. Overall, it wasn't a spectacular draft, but they got a number of young players that should contribute in some capacity early on, and of course, they got their quarterback of the future.
Grade: B

The Raiders have had some very poor drafts over the past few years, but they're headed in the right direction with this one. I was surprised that they passed on Matt Leinart, a guy that Al Davis himself said reminded him of Ken Stabler. However, Huff will have the more immediate impact and Andrew Walter still has a bright future at quarterback if he can stay healthy. Thomas Howard and Paul McQuistan and Kevin Boothe are all relatively small school sleepers. They each have plenty of athletic ability and are solid picks. My only concern is that when you take that many small school projects in one draft you're bound to have at least one fail you. Bing is a steal in the 4th round and they're likely going to shift him to linebacker. Morris and McMahan will likely be practice squad guys at the most, although Morris could provide some depth on the line. Overall, I like the talent they picked up, but Huff and possibly Bing are the only guys that should see much playing time as rookies.
Grade: A-