Reggie McKenzie & Draft Philosophy have Oakland on Cusp of Playoffs
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Year in and year out, rosters are changed in hopes to compete at a high level. Teams like the Patriots, Packers, and Seahawks, have mastered this plan, while others like the Browns, Raiders, and Titans, have failed. The franchises that succeed know the true way at building a roster, and that’s through the draft.

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Fourteen years ago, the Oakland Raiders were near the top of the NFL Hierarchy. Yeah, they had just been blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, but the roster was set with great players that got the job done. This group was on a high in the sense of succession.

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From 2000-2002 Oakland rolled off three AFC West titles, two AFC Championship appearances, and one Super Bowl appearance. Times were great for the Silver and Black, but what would transpire next, nobody would have believed.

The 2003 season was the beginning of the collapse. Oakland went from Super Bowl runners up, to 4-12 and the second overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

The next fourteen years, including 2003, Oakland combined to go 63-193. That is the worst record in that span, edging out the Cleveland Browns by three games (66-190). The Raiders only played .500 ball twice in that time frame, and that was with 8-8 records in 2010-2011. Why the horrific records and lack of competition for Oakland? Two words, horrible drafting.

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The Raiders had a top 10 draft pick nine out of the last fourteen years not including trades. With those selections, players like Jamarcus Russell, Robert Gallery, Fabian Washington, and Michael Huff. The players previously listed are all out of the league.

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What many fans see aren’t just busts, but players that were taking before future hall of famers. In 2004 when Robert Gallery was selected, Oakland passed on Larry Fitzgerald. When Jamarcus Russell was selected first overall in the 2007 draft, the silver and black passed on Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, and Adrian Peterson. Hindsight is 20/20, but with better scouting and personnel, these mistakes wouldn’t have happened.

The draft isn’t all about first round picks though. The draft is based of seven rounds, and every pick matters. Teams that draft well have later picks contribute well into their careers. Of the later draft selections Oakland used picks on between 2004-2012 are: Thomas Howard (LB, 2nd round), Damarcus Van Dyke (CB, 3rd round), Darnell Bing (S, 4th round), Juron Criner (WR, 5th round), Stryker Sulak (DE, 6th round), and Jonathan Holland (WR, 7th round).

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Things have turned around for the Raiders (Chris Berman voice) in the past three years thanks to one man, Reggie McKenzie. In the 2012 offseason, McKenzie was hired as the GM for Oakland. Many thought he was going to be another GM or head coach walking the plank in the black hole, but McKenzie had other ideas.

Reggie’s first draft class wasn’t much to brag about. In fact, none of the six draft picks are on the team currently. In McKenzie’s defense, he wasn’t given a lot to work with. In October of 2011, former Raider GM and HOFer, Al Davis, traded a 2012 first round pick and 2013 second round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for QB Carson Palmer. The USC alum started just 24 games for Oakland, posting an 8-16 record.

2013 is when McKenzie was able to put it together. That draft class produced starters DJ Hayden and Latavius Murray, and consistent role player Mychael Rivera. That was just the beginning of a nucleus that would help Oakland get better each season.

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Every GM wants to provide their Head Coach with a QB that will become the face of the franchise. McKenzie was able to do that in 2014. With the fourth pick in the second round, Oakland drafted Derek Carr. In his rookie year, Carr threw for over 3,200 yards and 21 touchdowns. This production came with wide receivers like Rod Streater, Kenbrell Thompkins, and Andre Holmes.

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The best pick in the 2014 draft for Oakland was DE/OLB Khalil Mack. The now two-year veteran in 2015 was the first player in NFL history to become an All-Pro at two positions.

McKenzie was able to get his franchise QB a number one target in the 2015 draft. With the fourth pick in that draft, the Raiders selected Amari Cooper. The former crimson tide hauled in 72 receptions, for over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns.

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Not only did McKenzie give Carr a number one wide receiver, he went after a big, fast tight end to stretch the seams in round three. Clive Walford is a hair away from 6”5’, and ran a 4.7 40 at the combine. Possibly looking at what New England had with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, McKenzie set his sights on pairing Rivera and Walford together.

Fast forward to 2016, and the Raiders are set up in a position to reign supreme amongst the AFC West again. The pieces are set in place not only on their roster, but inside that division. The Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl last year, but their signal caller has retired, their ‘future” franchise QB bolted to Houston, and several key pieces were lost in free agency on the defensive side of the ball.

The Kansas City Chiefs lost a high caliber CB, to Oakland, in free agency, and the once dynamic RB, Jamaal Charles, is coming off of an ACL tear. With former offensive coordinator Doug Pedersen becoming the new head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, nobody knows what the Chiefs offense will look like in 2016.

Philip Rivers and company are trucking along in San Diego, but this roster isn’t at a high caliber yet to contend in the AFC West. Rivers ran for his life in 2015, and the offensive line wasn’t addressed this offseason. With the schedule San Diego has to play this year (seven games against top 10 defenses in 2015), it’ll be hard to climb to the top.

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Reggie McKenzie and company have assembled a great young team that will be climbing the ranks of the AFC hierarchy as soon as this year. Because of the four-year GM, Oakland will be in the playoffs for the 2016 NFL Season.

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