It’s been a decade of despair for the Raiders. The combination of bad drafts, questionable coaching, “out of whack” contracts, and reckless cap management have all contributed.
But what’s interesting is the Raiders nearly avoided one of the draft whiffs that set the downward spiral in motion.
According to NFL.com analyst, Lance Zierlein, the Browns tried to execute a jump to the second pick in the 2004 draft to select Robert Gallery. Their offer? Two first-round draft picks which would have moved Oakland back to the sixth pick in ’04. The Raiders apparently said “absolutely not” and the rest is history.
Of course Larry Fitzgerald, Philip Rivers, and Sean Taylor were the next three players selected (after Gallery) so the biggest mistake may have been not taking one of them. The Browns ended up drafting Kellen Winslow Jr. and used their third overall pick the following year on Braylon Edwards – who would later lead me to a fantasy football championship.
The Raiders used their 2005 first-round pick on Fabian Washington. With another pick in the first round, any chance they might have stumbled upon Aaron Rodgers?
Here’s the video of Zierlein’s segment with Matt Waldman – the Gallery conversation begins at 1:01:40.
