Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders continue to base their decisions on speed. It is a running joke that whenever a player posts a good 40 time that he will likely be an Oakland Raider. At this point, I dont think it can be considered a joke as they literally target players based on their 40 time.
Oakland started their 3rd round by selecting DaMarcus Van Dyke a cornerback out of Miami. Van Dyke possesses great speed but is not a great cover guy. He lacks the balanced needed to utilze his speed which means he often has to gear down in order to close on the ball. This selection was a reach in the 3rd round as the Raiders continue to make head scratching choices.
Oakland Raiders Continue to Value Speed
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The speed picks didn’t end with Van Dyke as Oakland made a move for Chimdi Chewka a corner out of Ohio State. Like Van Dyke, Chewka has good speed but struggled in coverage. Oakland might have the fastest cornerbacks on the field but they can’t cover it won’t help. Both are decent players but are reaches at the spots they were drafted.
And the speed picks didnt end there as Oakland went with small schooler Taiwan Jones. Jones is a running back with fumble and injury concerns. However, he possesses great speed with the ability be a home run threat. This isnt really to early for Jones but it just adds to speed obsession.
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