| 1 (1) JaMarcus Russel, QB STARTER |
| While his development may not be going at ludicrous speed, lost in all of that he is still the youngest QB in the league, who was drafted on upside. With his arm, he has the ability to get out of any predicament, but he still needs to get the nuances of NFL QBing under his belt. Development, development, development is the word with Russell. he can't be asked to dumb his game down with dink and dunk Flacco-style playcalling, or he will never see his full potential. The Raiders knew they would have some growing pains with this QB, and more important than laboring over every little flaw in his game, is the addressing of the offensive line to give him the opportunity to continue to grow.
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| 2 (38) Zach Miller, TE STARTER |
| By far the most potent and consistent weapon on the offense, Miller will only get better as the team upgrades around him. Tough, no-nonsense, and a willing and capable blocker make Miller one fo the top finds for Oakland in this draft.
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| 3 (68) Quentin Moses, DE Backup/Miami |
| Moses made no impact for Oakland, and was shipped out before the 2008 season. In Miami he has been injured and deactivated.
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| 3 (91) Mario Henderson, OT STARTER |
| Henderson has been a huge part of Russell's development, and looks to continue to be so. With his ability to shift to RT, it will give the Raider's plenty of options in the draft.
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| 3 (99) Johnnie Lee higgins, WR STARTER |
| One of the few Raiders WRs who isn't mired in personal problems, Higgins is their most legitimate threat at the position. He is better served in the #2 role however, so the Raiders will be hoping someone else steps up and allows Higgins to slip back into a less central role.
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| 4 (100) Michael Bush, RB Backup |
| After failing to be activated in his rookie year, his development was even further delayed under oustered coach, Kiffin. When he can get into a game, he tends to have a dramatic effect, and his bruising style should be jsut what the 2009 Raiders are looking for. He has the potential to be a "breakout" player, just from being used consistently and correctly.
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| 4 (110) John Bowie, CB Backup |
| After playing the role of weekly inactive his first season, his second season was over before it started with a trip to IR. Bowie will be retained for depth reason, but should be jettisonned once the team clears the high water mark in this rebuilding phase.
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| 5 (138) Jay Richardson, DE Backup |
| Richardson has stepped in adequately the last two years in the event o fiinjury, and has a good, teamfirst attitude. he will likely serve a depth role for a while with Oakland, and has just enough potential to not be written off in the future as a player who could deliver some impact.
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| 5 (165) Eric Frampton, S backup/Vikings |
| After failing to turn heads in Oakland, the Vikings poached Frampton and struggled to get him on teh field, deactivating him initally for depth reasons,a nd eventually for injury reasons. his future looks pretty uncertain.
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| 6 (175) Oren O'neal, FB Backup |
| After an inconsistent rookie year, injuries reared again in 2008 and cost him the whole season. His rehab has been reported as going well, and he expects to be ready for 2009.
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| 7 Jonathan Holland, WR Backup |
| After being waived with an injury settlement as a rookie, Holland was brought back to the practice squad in 08, and eventually promoted to teh active roster. He will be in the mix for reliable receiver depth in the 09 training camp.
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