NFL Network’s Charles Davis: “This is absolutely perfect for the Oakland Raiders. This is where he should be drafted, [he is] so gifted, the long arms, the great feet, and the body. He has, however, been inconsistent in the run game.”
Former All-Pro Safety Corey Chavious: “He does have length, bends his knees pretty well. Some of his issues are correctable issues, he’s got some things to work on, but good value for the Raiders.”
So the Raiders do not take a bid on Bruce Campbell in the first round, but they evidently allowed Al Davis to come out of the closet finally here in the fourth round of the draft. Campbell is a stellar value for Oakland here with the first pick of the fourth round. Campbell ran the fastest forty times ever run by an offensive lineman at the combine and looks like he was carved out of a boulder by some 16th century sculptor.
Campbell was rated a top performer at the combine in forty yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, three cone drill, and the 20 yard shuttle. With his 36″ arm reach and his pre-draft hype, Campbell could provide a solid option at the right tackle position for the Oakland Raiders. NFL network’s Mike Mayock could not say enough good things about him during their coverage of the combine. He is widely considered to be a special athlete, he is a real beast that leaves it all on the field and generally takes his opponent right out of play.
Like him or not, Bruce Campbell is a phenomenal athlete with tremendous upside. He looks more like a Greek God than your typical offensive lineman, and he is very quick. So with the top two offensive line picks in this draft, the Oakland Raiders have substantially upgraded the offensive line.
Sure Oakland fans did not want this guy to be the top pick of this draft, but there was always that underlying suspicion that Al Davis had a thing for him that began at the 2010 NFL combine. While a ton of people will still look at this pick skeptically, I have to look at it realistically. In looking at it that way, the Raiders got a steal. This is a guy who was thought to be an early second round selection for a team like the Rams, Lions, Bucs, or even the Raiders. To get him this late in the draft is an absolute steal and you really can’t knock them for taking the guy.
He is quick enough to work in the Raiders ZBS and he has one of the best line coaches in the league to teach him how to do so. The Raiders go with three trench players in three of their four first picks this year, and I suspect they are not finished yet.
Stay tuned in right here on TFDS for up to the minute updates on your new Oakland Raiders draft choices.
To read his interview press conference CLICK HERE
–Bret Armstrong, TFDS Guest Contributor
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