This article is the work of Tyler Dickson who both is an avid college football and Raiders fan. You can follow him on Twitter @RaiderDraftnik.
| Player: | Pick | Overview |
| Tony Bergstrom
|
95th 3rd rd |
Strengths: Possesses good agility and lateral movement for the ZBS blocking scheme as a Guard. Has a nasty streak in him and finishes blocks like an old Raiders offensive lineman.
Has great hands and gets his hands on defender quickly. Good at the second level at finding the right block to set rusher free. Good strength at the POA. Technique guy looks to get better each game. A better Run blocker then Pass-Blocker. Weaknesses: Short armed player so opponents can get into his body. Susceptible to swim moves because of it. Has trouble with speed rushers that possess an array of moves. Doesn’t have great movement off at the snap. Will be versatile, being a tackle in college moving to guard in NFL so can play both spots but will have to go through the nuances of a new position. He is 25 and needs to start now – doesn’t have time to develop. Summary: I’m not going to lie – I was surprised with this pick, but after seeing this guy and really looking at his film, he is great fit with The Raiders new OL philosopy and he has the skills to be a great player for the team. He has a good motor and work ethic, a high character guy. No injury issues. Grade: A- NFL Comparsion: Zane Beadles, Broncos |
| Miles Burris
LB San Diego State |
129th 4th rd |
Strengths: Plays with great hustle and is always around the ball. Good arm tackler and can hit like a train. Good when he reads and reacts then flies to the ball. High Motor(My favorite trait).
Sideline to sideline player. Smart natural footballer that will strive to be great. Very versatile and can probably play most LB positions in any front. Has the ability to get to QB. Has Both mental toughness and physical toughness. Weakness: Bad in man coverage because his footwork does not let him shadow his man well. Susceptible to juke moves by quick backs in space. Very tight build and doesn’t have much of a frame to add additional bulk in the NFL. Can be over-aggressive and over run plays leaving gaps in run game. Some tendency to go for the big hit and miss. Summary: This Boy loves playing football and I love this pick. I think he’ll push all the LBs on the Raiders roster to be better but think he’ll be at SAM in 4-3 or ROLB in 3-4 when Raiders run those schemes. Another high character guy that will work his tail off. No injury issues and solid pick by the raiders. Grade: B |
| Jack Crawford
DE Penn State |
158th 5th rd |
Strengths: Big frame and size. Good core. Good job reading off the QBs eyes and clogs passing lanes up front with his hands. Stays square on the line and doesn’t let the edge break.
Good hustle player and good production with 26.0 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. Better run Defender then pass rusher. Weaknesses: Lacks pass rush moves and gets a lot of his sacks from hustle more thn anything else. Doesn’t have strength and burst to get of blockers. He lacks explosive speed to bend the edge. Very raw and doesn’t have great technique. Crawford needs to read the game better and show better anticipation at the next level. Summary: This is the pick I don’t agree with. In my opinion there were a lot better players on the board with more potential then Crawford. But “In Reggie we trust,” as they say. He can play as a 5 tech 3-4 end or as a run down 4-3 end at the NFL level but is still very raw. More immediately, he supplies depth on DL. Has injury concerns with his feet between 2010 and 2011. Also has some character concerns regarding drugs found at an apartment he stayed in, but he has not been charged. Grade: D |
| Juron Criner
WR Arizona |
168th 5th rd |
Strengths: Soft hands, able to catch ball with hands naturally. Good run blocker at WR position. Big body with great length in his frame. Plays faster then timed.
Not afraid of contact going over the middle. Great YAC guy, can make defenders miss. Good tracking of the ball in the air and over his shoulder. Youtube Juron Criner Catch 😉 Weaknesses: Doesn’t time his jumps for the ball well at times. ”Fights the ball” and at times has concentration drops. Didn’t seem to run many different routes at Arizona in spread offense and will need to improve in that area in NFL. Don’t know how he’ll deal with “rough” NFL DBs. Summary: The Raiders have needed a player like this for a while – a guy with a large frame that can go up and get the ball. I really like this pick and think he could push into starting line-up at the “Z” receiver position. He does have durability issues with his toe and nearly missed whole 2011 season from appendix surgery. Doesn’t have any widely published character issues. Grade: A |
| Christo Bilukidi
DT Georgia state |
189th 6th rd |
Strengths: Played all over the defensive line at Georgia State. Good first step. Dominated lower competition at times. High motor.
Weaknesses: Played in weak division. Came to football later in life so inexperienced. Inconsistent at times. Summary: I don’t know much about this kid but from what I’ve read and the little tape (Highlight film) I did see, he has a good first step and good agility for and man his size. I like this pick because I think Seymour will be great for him to learn from and he can possibly play 5-tech as a 3-4 end. Grade: C |
Nathan Stupar
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LB Penn State |
230th 7th rd |
Strengths: Good zone coverage. Underrated athlete. NFL pedigree,his uncle being ex-raiders QB Jeff Hoestler.
Flies to the ball. Non-stop motor(becoming a theme with this year’s draft class). Good ball skills for linebacker. Good tackler – wraps up ball carrier. Great special teams player. Got better every year, consistent improvement. Smart, plus possess a high football I.Q. Weaknesses: Tendency to take bad angles. Undersized. Doesn’t get off blocks from big OL in the second level. Overpursues plays at times. Not a man coverage type backer. Little starting experience. Summary: At first I did not like this pick but after watching some tape, Stupar is a solid pick-up. He adds depth at a position of need and will contribute on special teams early and effectively. He is another “Gentlemen” with no character issues and high football I.Q. No injury concerns. Grade: C |
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*Summary on draft: Overall, this was a solid draft from the Raiders, who ended up with some picks I like and some I don’t. Despite my dislike of some of the picks, I like how Reggie went out and got alot of “Good character” guys that all have non-stop motors and a passion for the game. It will be interesting to see what these players are like in a couple of years. Also, as a side note, judging by the skill sets of the picks, the Raiders will run a hybrid defense.
Overall Draft Grade: B-
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