Saturday, April 30, 2011

Oakland Raiders Miss QB, Add Beef In Wisniewski In 2011 NFL Draft

New York, NY - For the Oakland Raiders The 2011 NFL Draft may not have provided the bonanza of impact player picks of the 2010 NFL Draft, paced by speedster Jacoby Ford, but the Silver and Black did add beef in two top college lineman prospects: Stefen Wisniewski and Joseph Barksdale.

Stefen Wisniewski, from Penn St., is the nephew of popular Oakland Raiders Legend Steve Wisniewski, and a player Zennie62.com NFL Draft expert Dr. Bill Chachkes says can play "either left or right tackle, but really is best suited as a left tackle." By contrast, Joseph Barksdale, from LSU, is best at the right tackle position.

In between the two linemen, the Raiders added Miami's Demarcus Van Dyke, one of the fastest defensive backs at the 2011 NFL Combine. Here's a video highlight:



And in addition to fast, both Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa are at, or in the case of Mr. Chekwa, over 6-feet tall. Both are also knowns as DBs who can cover and hit - perfect for the Raiders style of play.

Adding Skill People

The Raiders added skill position players in the lower rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft, including Eastern Washington RB Taiwan Jones, Tennessee receiver Denarius Moore, and Miami Tight End Richard Gordon in rounds four, five, and six.

Of those three, Richard Gordon just may be the steal of all Raiders picks for this year thus far. Hammered by injury, his "good blocking but no-catch" rep was almost stuck on him for much of his time in college, but in 2009 he did make six grabs, and then-Miami Head Coach Randy Shannon remarked Gordon was even better in practice.

Looks like the Raiders got a player who's just seeing the upside of his potential.

Stay tuned.

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