Al Davis=genius?

To my dismay the NFL draft consistently is one of the most popular off season sports spectacles in the United States. Indeed, the NFL is by far and away the most popular and profitable sport in the U.S., but why is the draft so popular? The NFL draft is inconsequential television at best. The NFL draft is inundated with overreaction and analysis from the typical sports fans and the ever ridiculous media. Without a shadow of a doubt the Oakland Raiders have had real issues the last few years. Al Davis is “slipping” and the Raiders lack talent all across the field, but despite what Mel Kiper, Peter King, Todd McShay and what the typical sports fans declare this most recent draft was not that bad and should not have received a meaningless “F.” Infact, the team should have received a “C” which is an average grade. In fact, NE and most every other team in the league should have received a grade of “C.” Sporty nation, today is the day they I illustrate why Al Davis and the Raiders did not make poor moves drafting WR Darius Heyward-Bey 7th with Michael Crabtree still on the board and drafting SS Mike Mitchell whom no one really knew who he, Mitchell, was.



1st and foremost, why on earth are Kiper and McShay and to a lesser extent Peter King treated as Nostradamus and/or God’s? That is why do we assume that these men are omniscient. All three of these guys have a glaring flaw omission from there resumes: football. None of the three ever played football at a high level and/or help a position in football like GM, director of scouting, or any position with a professional football yet we treat their words as gospel rather than “educated” guesses or even opinions.

I’ve got a few gripes.

1. Darius Heyward-Bey was a good college wide receiver with blazing speed (best 40 time this year). Michael Crabtree was a very talented receiver that was a unanimous All-American twice, won the Biletnikoff twice, and shattered many records. He also is a guy that had a fracture in his foot, had “reported”diva-like character issues (which are somewhat ridiculous), and played for Texas Tech which is a program that perennially overstates player’s value and performance. Texas Tech has the flaw of running the spread offense which is hard to determine how good players really are and has a coach that runs a system that is at worst brilliant. (Sporty nation, Graham Harrell had 45 TDs, 5,111 yards passing, 9 interceptions, and a 160 QB rating and was not drafted. Many scouts and coaches didn’t believe in him and he was a Heisman trophy candidate). Not totally absurd to take Bey ahead of Crabtree. Right?



2. Next, Brandon Tate and Percy Harvin both egregiously test positive for marijuana (the only two to test positive). However, the perception of both players is significantly different. Harvin is a very risky pick for the Minnesota Vikings and Tate is a phenomenal pick for the New England Patriots. I kinda understand what is at play here, but cmon. We should be better than that.

3. Lastly and most importantly, why do we put much stock into these draft experts’ prognostications? Mel Kiper’s 1st round draft picks were 8/32 and Peter King’s 1st round draft picks went 9/32. Forget about any of the rounds after the first round. They would be lucky to get 1-2 picks correct there after. And, media outlets such as ESPN remove their mock drafts almost instantaneously after the draft. I’ll give you 4 minutes to search for experts mock drafts on ESPN for example. I’ll wait……….They aren’t out there because they are consistently inaccurate and as in one of my favorite movies, “Coming to America,” they are “good and terrible!” In addition to that, not one football expert predicted that Matt Sanchez would go #5 in the draft to NYJ…not one. And, you have to predict trades. These mock drafts should be mocked no?! After all, they are more likely to be 97% incorrect than correct yet we overreact. To their prognostications.



Sporty nation, this blog post is not meant to be incendiary or overly critical of the NFL or the NFL draft, but rather to illustrate and demonstrate some of the critical pitfalls that emerge from putting too much weight into alleged draft experts. The NFL draft is inherently a crap shoot and random. The NFL draft is full of busts and lucky picks and situations (see Tom Brady, Jerry Rice, Ryan Leaf, the Boz, and etc. So, why should we put stock into these guys’ guesses? Moreover, why do we get lazy and just say NE is brilliant and The Raiders are an abomination instead of taking the information and making our own opinions? No body knows my friends. This is my minority report.

Before I forget...2010 mock draft will be going live ASAP! Get ready sporty nation!