Have you ever wondered what an NFL team’s draft evaluation book looks like on this inside? Have you ever pondered about all the goodness trapped in said book, which the front office hopes never sees the light of day? Above all, have you ever thought what in the hell are the Oakland Raiders thinking?
We have good news for you, then.
Thanks to Reddit user Mattyuh, the Raiders’ 2010 Draft evaluation book has been unearthed, and it is spectacular. If nothing else, it provides a cool peak into what the organization was thinking leading up to the draft. And, despite all the jokes one can make about the Raiders, some of the draft evals fall in line with what we know now.
For instance, Rob Gronkowski would have been slotted to play right away as a No. 2 tight end after being ranked as the top overall player at his position, and being labeled the “best overall player in the draft”:
What you also realize quickly was how amazing that 2010 tight end class was. The quarterback class? Not so much:
Most notably, the Raiders pondered if Jimmy Clausen (who would eventually be drafted by the Panthers) would “piss everybody off immediately or capture the locker room?”
The Raiders were also particularly interested in now-Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas, noting that he was a “potential game changer.” As for Kam Chancellor, the Raiders said, “Couldn’t do it here; too stiff; I think he will make it elsewhere, though,” which is technically correct.
There’s a full arsenal of photos you can view in the following link. It’s neat stuff, and if you enjoy hindsight’s perfect vision, where teams hit and missed in the draft. For the record, here’s who the Raiders ended up drafting in 2010:
Rolando McClain
Lamarr Houston
Jared Veldheer
Bruce Campbell
Jacoby Ford
Walter McFadden
Travis Goethel
Jeremy Ware
Stevie Brown
Not exactly an all-timer as far as draft classes go. Granted, drafts are always mixing risk and reward, and you can’t fault the Raiders too much if they didn’t get everybody they wanted, but all of this further paints the picture of why the Raiders are the Raiders.
(Via Reddit)
