Generally, the final pick of the seventh round is referred to as Mr. Irrelevant. In this draft, I might refer to the last three picks this year for Oakland by the same title. Undoubtedly, however, one of these final three will make some sort of unpredictable impact for Oakland this year. It is highly probable that you are talking about a lot of these kids taken in the seventh round being cut before the season opens and possibly getting a shot on a different team before the season starts.
With the Oakland Raiders, however, they have a tendency to get a steal late in the draft, like in 2008 when they drafted San Diego State’s Chaz Schilens. In 2007, the second to last pick of the draft was Oakland cornerback and converted wide receiver Jonathan Holland who is still hanging around at the Raiders facilities to this day. The list goes on; in 2006 center Chris Morris, 2002 wide receiver Ronald Curry.
The point is, you never know; any of Oakland’s 2010 draft choice could have an outstanding pro career, and at the same time any one of them could be a bust.
Safety Stevie Brown from Michigan is the pick for Mr. Irrelevant for the Oakland Raiders this year. Who? Well, I’m about to tell you just give me a second…don’t rush me.
How about a 6’0” 211 pound secondary man from the Big 12, a tweener, a guy who played safety in 2008 and LB in 2009 for the Wolverines. Need any more proof of the Raiders going to a 3-4 defense this year?
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez talks of Brown in terms of being a work in progress, knowing Brown’s learning curve must soon translate to dependability, Rodriguez still praised Brown saying, “For a veteran guy, he doesn’t have a whole lot of experience,” Rodriguez said. “Just the recognition of some things is the biggest thing for him, but he’s a guy who likes playing and he works in practice. I think he’ll be fine.”
Despite playing in 28 straight games, Brown still is experiencing growing pains. He senses the need to improve his angles, putting himself in better positions to make plays. Coming out of high school, he was highly regarded. His father said everyone who saw him on tape offered him a scholarship to play for them. He was a guy who was capable of playing multiple position. In high school he was a tailback that scored one out of every five times he touched the football.
Look, the guy is a project, but you wouldn’t expect anything less from the final pick of the draft. Now that Oakland is close to where they want to be as a team, it will be nearly impossible for him to make a run at one of the 53 spots on the final roster this year. Nevertheless, they got what they intended to get, a guy who could end up a special teamer and can provide a good body for the practice squad.
–Bret Armstrong, TFDS Guest Contributor
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