Raiders need to take best player, and that's WR Johnson

March 30, 2007
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
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Here's a piece of unsolicited advice for the Oakland Raiders: Either draft Calvin Johnson with the first draft pick or trade out of the top spot.

Look, when you have the first pick of the draft you choose the best player on the board -– unless, of course, you're the Houston Texans. And the best player on this year's board is Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson.

So take him. Or move south.

Houston didn't do that last year with Reggie Bush, and it didn't do it with the people's choice, Vince Young, either. One year later, the Texans acknowledged their mistake by trading for a veteran quarterback and spending megabucks on a veteran running back.

There's a lesson there, and it's up to the Raiders to pay attention. If they don't, they follow Houston into oblivion. Or, more accurately, they'll stay where they are.

And where they are is not good. They can't run. They can't block. They can't pass. And they can't score. And JaMarcus Russell is going to change all that? I don't think so. I don't think Calvin Johnson will, either, but I know this: Johnson is more of a sure thing and less of a risk than Russell.

And I'm not alone.

At the February scouting combine, I spent time talking to a prominent AFC coach shortly after Johnson's workout, and he was overwhelmed by what he just witnessed. He knew about Johnson's size, and he knew he could catch the ball in traffic. What he didn't know was that a 6-foot-5, 239-pound wide receiver would run a 4.35 and snag everything thrown in his direction.

"He caught them in front of him, behind him, over his head," he said. "It was one of the most impressive workouts I've ever seen."

And then he posed the question.

"If you're the Oakland Raiders," he said, "how do you not draft him?"

Beats me. I know the Raiders have what you might call "a situation" at quarterback, which means they don't have anyone worth a rip at the position. But I'm not so sure about that. People who once touted Andrew Walter started shredding the poor guy last year when he flunked as a starter.

Please. He didn't have a chance. He dodged unblocked pass rushers every time he retreated to throw and operated in an offense that was such a mess the coordinator was canned during the season, the head coach was canned after one year on the job and the team managed a league-low 16 touchdowns, or 15 fewer than LaDainian Tomlinson.

So finding the next Daryle Lamonica corrects all that?

I don't think so. What bothers me is that when people talk about Russell, they can't wait to tell you how he can throw a ball 50-60 yards from his knees and that he's been known to rocket it 80 to 90 yards from a standing position.

That's great if you're measuring quarterbacks by distance, but we're not. We're measuring them by accuracy, leadership and experience, and there is nothing that convinces me that what happened to Russell last year at LSU happens next year -- or any year -- at Oakland.

Hearing of Russell's prodigious arm strength reminds me of similar descriptions of a quarterback who passed through the combine four years ago. Maybe you've heard of him: Kyle Boller. There was impassioned talk of how far he could wing the ball, too, and while it put him in the first round of the 2003 draft, it didn't do much for his employer.

In fact, after tiring of waiting on him the Baltimore Ravens veered in another direction and last year acquired veteran Steve McNair –- who promptly led them to a division title.

Which takes me back to Oakland. The last time the Raiders were in the Super Bowl was in January of 2003, and the quarterback was Rich Gannon. He was a fourth-round draft pick, but not by Oakland. The Raiders dealt away that choice in 1987 to New England, which traded down to acquire a quarterback who 15 years later would lead Oakland to the Super Bowl.

Gannon couldn't out-throw Michael Vick. And he didn't have a Roger Clemens fastball. But he could make critical plays, and he was consistent in producing them.

The point is: The Raiders don't have to find someone who throws the ball farther than anyone, nor should they draft a guy simply because he fits a need. And it seems both are reasons for locking in on Russell.

OK, let's say you believe Russell is the top quarterback in this year's class, and I know a lot of people who do. Let's also say you believe the Raiders need a quarterback. You'll have company there, too. Does Oakland then jump for Russell because he fills a position where they're deficient?

Only if he's the best player in the draft. And he's not. Listen, you absolutely, positively cannot afford to screw up the first draft pick, and there's always considerable risk when you're talking quarterbacks.

So follow the NFL handbook and do what everyone else does: Take the best player available. The best player is Calvin Johnson.

I don't care that the Raiders have Randy Moss and Jerry Porter as wide receivers. Dump one of them. Heck, dump both of them and pick up draft picks in return. Maybe then you find your quarterback.

Or consider signing free-agent David Carr (after all, he has experience playing behind porous offensive lines), take Johnson and look for another QB after the first round. Or maybe just stay with Walter and build around him, starting with Johnson.

Whatever you do, Oakland, don't pass up Calvin Johnson with the first pick. You earned the right to choose first because you stunk, and this is the NFL's way of helping the needy.

But having the first choice carries with it an obligation to choose the No. 1 player in the draft, and if you don't acknowledge that obligation you become the Houston Texans. Or stay the Oakland Raiders.

It's one thing to be bad. Don't be stupid, too. Take Calvin Johnson. Or trade away the pick.