The Raiders picked at No. 7 and took wide receiver Darrius Hayward-Bey. The Niners picked 10th, and because the Raiders had screwed up again, they were able to get Michael Crabtree the best receiver in this draft.
So the Raiders' screw-up was the Niners' gain. It's clear why the Raiders took their guy. He's fast. Al Davis is in love with speed -- the vertical game and all that. But there's more to football than speed. There's being a football player. There's having good hands. Read any draft prognostication you want. They all rate Crabtree way over Hayward-Bey and most say the Raiders' guy has suspect hands. And every one says Crabtree's hands are fabulous.
No one ever thought the Raiders' and Niners' stories would dovetail in the draft. But they did. The Raiders made a predictable mistake and the Niners benefited big time. To read my column on the 49ers' draft pick click here.
I love my team. I try to defend my teams indiscretions at every turn. This is beyond any defense I can make. The best WR was there like a ripe juicy apple just waiting to be picked from the tree and, instead, Al picked one up off the ground that had some imperfections from the fall. Your welcome San Francisco. If they decided Crabtree wasn't their guy, fine. But at least fill the next most pressing need and take a tackle. Heyward Bey is just a taller version of Johnnie Lee Higgins, not an upgrade at all. Did you notice when they called his name (Heyward-Bey) he didn't look like he was expecting to be picked for another week. This is horribly disappointing. And what's worse is they decided to pass on a tackle in round two also. A safety? Golly-gee-willickers Mr. Davis!
Time will tell if the Raiders really screwed up. It is easy to say that they did & maybe they didn't.
The draft experts already have DHB listed as the next James Jett, and Crabtree as the next Jerry Rice.
We will have plenty of opportunities to see a side by side comparison, and hopefully it will be competitive from both sides of the bay.
Competitiveness from both teams has been truly lacking over the last few years. The best thing that could happen for the Bay Area, would be for both teams to get decent again.
I would love to see the Raiders first round selections to start around #25, instead of our customary top seven slot.
I have made previous comments regarding character issues with the current Raider squad...Maybe Crabtree has some character flaws. How many other NFL players consider themselves as Divas ??
Now the $64,000 question...Can OC guru - Jimmy Raye devise some decent plays for Crabtree's playmaking capabilities ?? or, will he look like a normal WR in their "three yards and a cloud of dust" offense.