2013 NFL Draft, Rounds 4-7: Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders had a busy final day of the 2013 NFL Draft with six total picks, 4 in the 6th round alone. The Raiders took three supreme athletes on the first two days in D.J. Hayden, Menelik Watson, and Sio Moore. They added to this boon early on the last day.

Jan 26, 2013; Mobile, AL, USA; Senior Bowl south squad quarterback Tyler Wilson of Arkansas (8) passes against the Senior Bowl north squad during the first quarter of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

In the 4th round, with the 112th pick, Oakland selected Arkansas Razorback quarterback Tyler Wilson. The 6’2″ signal caller could end up being a very good starting quarterback in the league. Wilson had an excellent 2011 but was unable to be as impressive in 2012; he still has those skills that brought him success. NFL.com seems to like his chances, even going so far as to compare him to Brett Favre:

"After he looked like a superstar in the making after his 2011 campaign, Wilson was unable to improve upon his junior season for a myriad of reasons, including the loss of his head coach, the departure of his three favorite receivers, and a sub-par offensive line. Wilson spent much of the year under duress, but showed impressive toughness in consistently staring down the barrel to deliver throws while getting hit, and bouncing up right after.While scouts will want to see more from Wilson in the vertical passing game, it’s tough to ignore his overall skill set. In addition to these quarterbacking skills, Wilson’s a proven leader and it has been reported that he comes off as quite charming in interviews with teams. When these facts are combined with the number of quarterback-needy teams in the draft, it’s very likely that Wilson will ultimately be a top-15 pick."

The Raiders didn’t have a 5th round selection but they did have four 6th round picks. With the 172nd pick overall, they decided to provide Matt Flynn (Tyler Wilson?) with a tight end, former Colorado Buffalo Nick Kasa. According to the SI.com scouting report, Kasa is a pass blocker and he can get down the field in the passing game well. A few picks later, at the 181st spot, the Raiders took running back Latavious Murray out of Central Florida. I could not find much in the way of scouting reports on Murray. Three picks later, the Raiders chose another tight end Mychal Rivera from Tennessee. SI.com thinks his lack of size may make it very hard to mirror his college production in the NFL.

"Despite his college production and effort making good side/angle blocks in college, his lack of bulk/weight will hinder his ability to carry this production over in the NFL. Additionally, he has always been less effective blocking head-up defenders and will have even more trouble blocking the bigger and stronger defensive ends in the NFL."

With their last pick in the 6th round, the Raiders selected Oklahoma defensive tackle Stacy McGee. This pick is strictly a blind dart by Oakland. NFL.com didn’t even think McGee would be drafted due to a lack of collegiate production and off the field issues.

"McGee has all the physical attributes to be a contributor as a 4-3 defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end. However, between a lack of production throughout his career, multiple off the field incidents, and suspensions, he is unlikely to be drafted."

Just a few picks later, in the 7th round, Oakland went with Brice Butler from San Diego State. Again, Oakland is looking to get lucky with a talented athletic pick who has not produced much. Here is the SI.com scouting report on Butler:

"Butler should be so much more productive than he is with his size/speed combination but the results just aren’t there. He is a very raw prospect with long legs and arms. He has a very long stride and it takes him a few steps to get up to full speed, and there is very little short area quickness. He is not a very polished route runner and he doesn’t have the short area quickness that could set him apart from other receivers. He is not a physical player and teams are going to press him because he can’t fight through it. At this time, Butler is a vertical threat only and nothing more. Butler deserves sixth-round consideration at this time because of his ability to attack the defense vertically and his size/speed combination."

Oakland had a very strong first day but seemed to take some chances on the second day after the Tyler Wilson selection. The Raiders may get lucky with a couple of them – that’s how success is found in the NFL sometimes – and if they do, it would be very helpful to the Raider offense. I really like the Raiders first 5 picks and it wasn’t a terrible idea to draft athleticism and talent over production if their scouts saw some things on which to build. I like the direction the Raiders went with this draft and I give them a B+.

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