OAK's Recent First-Round Picks: Has Al Held On Too Long and Dropped The Ball?

I just read a nice article by Bryan Leifeste, entitled "Oakland Raiders: Success in the Second Round". It was about great second-round Raider players. This article was very well written and brought back some fond memories of past great Oakland players. But it also got me to thinking about how some of the recent first-round picks have turned out and I thought a review of the more recent picks was in order. In doing my research, it struck me that maybe Al  Davis needs to trust his Head Coach and staff more in the personnel department in the first Round, before he takes his nap. I know he loves some first-round flash but let's look at what cost to the team over the past 10 years: 2009—Darrius Hayward-Bey, WR A definite reach but too early to tell. Needs a better QB than the current one projected to start to give him a chance. 2008—Darren McFadden, RB A bit early to call. Not huge production last year but was bothered by a foot injury for part of ...