Round 3--Overall Pick 95
Mike Martin--DT--Michigan
Mike Martin would be a great pick for the Oakland Raiders for their first pick. At 6'1" and fluctuating at 300 lbs. Martin is an extremely athletic defensive tackle.Martin as a true Freshman was thrown into the starting role at the University of Michigan. He ended the season as a freshman all-american and led all Michigan freshman with 20 tackles.He continued to dominate for the Wolverines on and off the field.In the weight room, according to ESPN.com, he benched 505 lbs.and had a 700 lb. squat even after a shoulder surgery. He is a freak athlete and will provide depth at first and be potential monster in between a potentially great defensive end duo.He ran a 4.88 40 yard dash and has great explosiveness. He'll bring overall balance in the middle to help Shaughnessy and Houston get around the edges. He can definitely handle the workload, as he played a little under 700 plays last season. He was right around 60 snaps a game, a much more athletic BJ Raji in that aspect.Overall this is a great pick up for the Raiders and potentially help the Raiders for a few seasons.
Round 4--Overall Pick 129
Nate Potter--OT--Boise State
Potter will possible be around for Oakland to pick him up in the 4th round. He is a bit undersized and lacks some strength but relies on quickness, technique, and taking great angles on his blocks. With some experience and around the NFL vets in Oakland he will provide good depth on the offensive line. He's perfect (physically) for the zone blocking scheme that Oakland is implementing this year. He should pick up on it quickly and be ready to sub in whenever he's needed. He was the focal point of an offensive line that only allowed .67 sacks a game (tied for first nationally and was voted 2011 All Mountain West First Team after his dominate senior season. He's a great quality pick, not a must need but you can never have too many good offensive linemen on your team.
Round 5--Overall Pick 148
DeQuan Menzie--CB--Alabama
With Cassel, Rivers, and now Manning in the AFC West, the Oakland Raiders need a pass rush and quality defensive backs. They've been covering both in free agency but what about one player who can do both? Oakland needs one of their young corners to step up and hopefully drafting another will do so. They have the veterans who can start right now to help develop and help the 'reload' not 'rebuild' process. By drafting Menzie you are getting a solid cornerback who was the starting number two at Alabama. According to scouts he does lack some of the abilities he would need to be in man on man coverage against elite receivers.I am ok with this. I like him in the slot, where he has played in college, doing a little more zone which would be his strength in coverage. Alabama loved blitzing him off the edge which would be great against the very good tier of quarterbacks in the West. DeQuan is very strong and will help bump the slots off their routes but can help the run game as well. In the open field he may struggle but expect tackles for loss from him.They'll use him mainly on blitzes to throw off the qbs as well as nickel and dime situations. He's not the greatest CB but as all-around skills for a corner that are just enough to have a role on this team. A solid and versatile pick.If he isn't playing corner he can play safety (most recentyly at the Senior Bowl) and is willing to play there full time if it benefits the team. I like this pick because no matter where in the secondary, Menzie will provide depth right away.
Round 5--Overall Pick 168
Brett Roy--DT--Nevada
Brett Roy is one of my favorite players in this draft and absolutely is my favorite sleeper pick.He's a workhorse, constantly wanting (and catching) the ball carrier. With a 4.86 40 yard dash at around 270 lbs he's very athletic for a defensive tackle. Some will say he's undersized to be an NFL DT and that's ok.There are other options for him in the NFL. He participated in defensive end and outside linebacker drills for scouts this year. His athleticism showed during the drills with his great quickness and foot speed but he would need to work on that some more if he were to move to a full-time OLB.He's showed that he has the intelligence to learn the game inside and outside with both the run stopping and pass rushing skills. He didn't start until his junior year but amassed 50 tackles and 8 sacks. In his senior season he was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference First Team. He had 66 tackles and 10 sacks that year. Really the only weaknesses I can find and scouts have seen is the lack of size. He has the explosiveness to get off the ball but when it's a running play he can be blown back at times. I still really like him being drafted by Oakland (since they have scouted him now) and moving him around. He's too smart and athletic to pass up. This man needs to be on Allen's defense.
Round 6--Overall Pick 189
Russell Wilson--QB--Wisconsin
Now the Raiders need someone to groom for the future. Carson is a good now quarterback and maybe in the 2013-14 season we can see him leading the Raiders back into the playoffs. I don't know if Pryor is the answer for the future, great athlete but just can't see him as the field general the Raiders need. Wilson is yes short, but too short? (Please see Barry Sanders and Drew Brees) Big name comparisons,yes, but you get the point. Some boards have him going 3-4 round some have him sliding out of the draft, if he is here you have to take him. I have seen almost every game of his at Wisconsin and this man wants to win. He is extremely accurate even on the run.He was more accurate than projected 1st overall pick Andrew Luck with a 191.78 QB rating (22 points more than Luck). On Wilson's pro day:
"For him to come out there and make over 60 throws and only miss a couple - and the ones he missed were good throws - proved that not only does he have the arm strength, but he's got great feet and his accuracy is impeccable."
--Chris Weinke, director of IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Fla
Wilson is a great steal for the Raiders and will open up the offense even more with the fantastic athletes the Raiders' offense already has. Roy and Wilson are my top two sleeper picks in this year's NFL draft and it's possible for the Raiders to pick both of them up.
Well those are my draft predictions for the 2012 NFL Draft for the Oakland Raiders. By adding these players you will receive great depth and possibly a few future starters. If Wilson does slide up the draft board it would be difficult to find someone later in the draft. I would take Wilson and Roy in the fifth round and find a sleeper corner later. Right now though as it stands this would be a positive draft for the Raiders and cover needs for the now and future.
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