Raiders grab Russell in NFL Draft

The Oakland Raiders are hoping they made the right decision last weekend when they selected player JaMarcus Russell No. 1 in the draft. Unfortunately Oakland won?t know if they have the next Peyton Manning or a Ryan Leaf clone on their hands for a few years.

The LSU quarterback has a cannon for an arm, but he?s heading into a difficult situation in Oakland. He should have a few years to figure things out since Oakland traded for veteran quarterback Josh McCown to hold down the fort until Russell is ready. That may take a little longer since Oakland sent Randy Moss to New England, although Moss didn?t exactly excel on the west coast.

The biggest surprise on draft day was what happened to Brady Quinn. A few months ago Quinn was touted as a possible No. 1 pick, but after Cleveland passed on him at No. 3 and Miami went with Ted Ginn Jr. at No. 9, Quinn fell all the way to No. 22 where Cleveland did some wheeling and dealing with Dallas to snatch him up. The Browns ended up with two top picks and all it really cost them was a first rounder in next year?s draft. If Quinn and offensive lineman Joe Thomas both fulfill their potential that pick may not be missed too much. Cleveland may not be the biggest contender in the tough AFC right now, but give them a few years and you might be comparing the new Browns to today?s new and improved Bengals.

Aside from Russell and Quinn, the biggest name available in the draft was Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The Detroit Lions made Johnson the No. 2 pick, making him the fourth wideout the Lions have taken in the first round in the last five years. Johnson has game-changing talent, but the same was said when Detroit took Charles Rogers and Mike Williams. If Johnson ends up providing the same dud results as Williams and Rogers, maybe that will be enough to finally give the long-suffering Lions fans their wish and Matt Millen will be fired. The more likely scenario is that Johnson will be great but the Lions will continue to suck. After all if Barry Sanders couldn?t lead Detroit to glory, can anybody do it?

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