So Jimmy Clausen wouldn’t be the out-of-whack choice you’d think he would be for the Raiders. And while taking Bruce Campbell would certainly be a reach — workout warrior who has done practically nothing in college is actually a norm for the NFL — it still would not rise to the level of the insanity Crazy Al performed in last year’s draft. Nope, you want to see a repeat of last year’s insanity, then wait to see if Crazy Al turns in the card to Roger Goodell for Jacoby Ford with the 8th overall pick. Then the proof will be in the pudding: Crazy Al is certifiable.

davvydoug

I’ve finally figured out what your problem is, Al: Along with being old and senilte (1) you haven’t a clue about the concept of value; and (2) for whatever reason you have placed way too much emphasis on straight-line speed as an NFL gauge, instead of putting it into context with all the other measurable skills.

Even if you think Darius Hayward-Bay is the best wideout in the draft, and he turns into the greatest reciever ever, he was going to be around late. He wasn’t worth where you picked him. You could have traded down out of that #7 spot, pick up one or two more sorely needed picks in a year when you only had five total picks to start with, and still grabbed Hayward-Bay in the mid-20′s.

Now, along with overpaying a marginal DT with the largest contract for an interior lineman ever and rewarding a close-down corner with elite money for only eight games before cutting him, your stuck with having to pay $35M-$45M for what amounts to a sprinter with no ball skills.

Why did you do this? Because with all the other measurables Hayward-Bay couldn’t do at the combine and at his pro day, the one thing he did do was run a 4.30 40, the fastest time of any player available this year. You’d have been better off waiting until the draft was over and signing Usain Bolt to a free agent contract.

But then your senility didn’t end there, did it, Al? You sent Raider fans running through brick walls with what you did in the second round. Mike Mitchell was so far down the pre-draft food chain that he was rated the 68th best safety prospect. 68TH?!?! NOBODY WAS GOING TO DRAFT THIS GUY!!! Yet because you heard he ran a 4.3 40 at his pro day (a workout no NFL team even attended), you spent a second-round pick on somebody who wasn’t even going to get drafted and you could have signed to an un-guarenteed league minimum. Now you’re stuck with having to give a multi-year deal to somebody, unlike Hayward-Bay, whose talent isn’t even marginal.

I guess it’s true what they say: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. If you could, then you would have noticed, Al, that of the last six players you drafted that were the fastest of their draft class, five of them were colossal failures (the jury is still out on Darren McFadden).

But hey, I’m a 49ers fan. What I love about the 49ers drafting behind you, Al, is that we can always count on your senility to benefit everybody behind you. Because of what you did the draft stategies of everybody picking after #7 changed drastically, and arguably the most talented player in this year’s draft — and certainly the only wideout with elite skills — was there when the 49ers picked at #10. Only in my wet dreams could I ever have imagined that the 49ers would get Michael Crabtree.

Thank You, Al, Thank You So, So Much! Have fun spending the next 10-15 years looking across the bay and being constantly reminded of what you could have had.

daveydoug