For almost a decade, the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders
have proven that if a team fails to nail its draft picks, the
franchise will never turn the corner. Oddly enough, it’s time for
these two clubs to follow the lead of the NFL’s all-time worst
franchise, the Detroit Lions, in Saturday’s draft.
For almost a decade, the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders have proven that if a team fails to nail its draft picks, the franchise will never turn the corner. Oddly enough, it’s time for these two clubs to follow the lead of the NFL’s all-time worst franchise, the Detroit Lions, in Saturday’s draft.
Neither the Niners nor the Raiders have been in the playoffs since 2002, with the Raiders posting the worst win-loss record in the league since losing the Super Bowl that year – believe it or not, they’re even worse than the lowly Lions, who pick first in this year’s draft after going defeated for the 2008 season at 0-16.
What the Niners, Raiders and Lions franchises share are frustrated fan bases due to absenteeism from the playoffs and past drafts littered with not only misses at the top but also duds selected in the later rounds. All three teams have relied too much on free agency, showing you can bring in veterans to compliment a roster, but it won’t completely cover up major mistakes made when picking up college kids. Draft-day blunders have left all three teams severely lacking in depth and victories.
San Francisco is still waiting to see if 2005 top pick Alex Smith even belongs in the league as he’ll battle the underrated Shaun Hill this summer for the starting quarterback job. Aside from Frank Gore (third rounder in 2005) and Patrick Willis (first rounder in 2007), the Niners have missed or been mediocre on nearly every other pick made this decade. Cornerback Nate Clements and wide receiver Isaac Bruce are the best free agents the team has signed in recent years. Niners fans can take that for what it’s worth (or they can continue to talk about five Super Bowls instead of the present).
The Raiders recently brought veteran quarterback and Gilroy native Jeff Garcia into the fold to push their top pick of 2007, JaMarcus Russell, after recent reports suggested the behemoth signal-caller was satisfied with simply collecting a fat paycheck. Oakland has actually done okay in recent drafts by building up a strong backfield and core of linebackers, as well as developing Nnamdi Asomugha into one of the best cornerbacks in the league. But the Raiders’ free agent misses – Javon Walker, DeAngelo Hall and Gibril Wilson, just to name three from last summer – have been colossal, as the latter two aren’t even with the team anymore and Walker, with his fragile knees and psyche, has little business being in the NFL anymore.
While the Niners and Raiders have had more scrutinized drafts in making sure they get the right guy – selecting a quarterback to be the face of a franchise will do that (see Detroit in the spotlight this year with reports suggesting the team will take Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford) – this season’s draft is just as important for the Two Teams by the Bay considering each has a coach entering his first full season in charge after shedding the interim tag. Each franchise needs to take the next step, as fans are getting impatient.
Mike Singletary and the Niners have the 10th pick of the draft, and reports have them selecting anything from a tackle to a receiver to a quarterback. Tom Cable and the Raiders pick in the seven spot and the needs are almost the same, but instead of a quarterback they need a defensive lineman.
What makes this draft so risky for both teams is the screaming need for a No. 1 receiver, which is never a sure bet when drafting in the first round. Ask the Lions, who became NFL laughingstocks by selecting receivers in the first round for three years straight. It was never clear if the club was trying to build a roster to play the A-11 offense, which makes everyone except the quarterback an eligible receiver, or if the Lions were simply looking to secede from the NFL and form a semi-pro basketball team.
Taking a receiver is a risk, but it’s a risk both teams need to take. Both offenses already feature top picks at quarterback and on the offensive line, and they are both in dire need of a playmaker to stretch the field. The Niners’ top returning receiver from last season is Bruce, who will be 37 in November. The Raiders’ top receiver last season was Johnny Lee Higgins with 22 catches. Enough said.
Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin are considered the best pass-catchers in this year’s draft class, and one or both should be available when the Raiders pick. If one of the two is still on the board when San Francisco steps to the podium, the Niners shouldn’t think twice.
Defense is said to win championships, but neither team is close to being Super Bowl-caliber. Poor drafts in years past have put them each a few years away even if they hit on every pick in Saturday’s draft. But local fans aren’t expecting that much; they just want to see their team win enough games to make the playoffs. And winning games simply requires outscoring your opponent, even if it requires emulating the Lions.
