The 2010 NFL Draft was one of the best draft classes of the decade as there were eight players in the first round alone who were named to an All-Pro team. Half of the first-round made at least one Pro Bowl and six players made at least five Pro Bowls.
Unfortunately, the Raiders did not hit on their first-round pick as Rolando McClain never panned out. He did resurrect his career some in Dallas, but he never lived up to his top-10 status.
Today, we are taking a look at a handful of players the Raiders should have drafted in the first round. We are going to exclude any players draft outside of Round 1 as it’s far too easy to cherry-pick late-round steals here. Instead, we will look at similarly graded prospects to McClain who the Raiders should have picked.
1. FS Earl Thomas
Finding elite safeties can be nearly impossible to do. However, the 2010 draft had two of them drafted inside the top-14; Eric Berry (No. 5) and Earl Thomas (No. 14). While the Raiders never had the chance to select Berry, Thomas was available to them a few picks later.
Thomas was a superstar in college, recording eight interceptions as a redshirt sophomore in 2009. He was a consensus All-American as he helped lead the Longhorns to the National Championship Game.
If the Raiders would have selected Thomas at No. 8, it’s fair to wonder just how much he could have transformed the defense over the decade. But with the team drafting Michael Huff a few years earlier, it’s not hard to see they avoided another Longhorns defensive back.
2. C Maurkice Pouncey
A common theme in these redraft pieces is the Raiders ignoring their offensive line need. In nearly every draft from 2006-2010, there were All-Pro talents available on the offensive line that the team never seemed to have much interest in.
One such name is Maurkice Pouncey, who was a consensus All-American for the Florida Gators. He helped Florida win the National Championship in 2008 and was even better in the 2009 season.
However, Pouncey fell to pick No. 18 in the 2010 NFL Draft and has been dominant ever since. He’s already made eight Pro Bowls in his NFL career and has twice been named a first-team All-Pro selection. Pouncey is on pace to be a Hall of Famer.
3. WR Dez Bryant
Entering the 2010 NFL Draft, Dez Bryant was considered a lock top-10 pick after dominating at Oklahoma State. As an 18-year old sophomore, Bryant caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns. But after a meeting with Deion Sanders, Bryant was ruled ineligible for most of the 2009 season after playing just three games.
Bryant fell all the way to pick No. 24 in the 2010 NFL Draft and quickly reminded the league why he was such an elite talent. From 2012-2014, he was arguably the best receiver in the NFL, catching 273 passes for 3,935 yards and 41 touchdowns.
If the Raiders would have selected Bryant, who knows how much he could have helped the current quarterbacks on the roster. Maybe, his presence would have helped the Carson Palmer trade to work in their favor. Bryant might have also opened running lanes underneath for Darren McFadden, making the entire offense better. Given how massive of a talent Bryant was coming into the NFL Draft, not picking him at No. 8 hurt mightily.
4. DE Jason Pierre-Paul
The final player the Raiders should have considered in the 2010 NFL Draft was defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Going into the year, the team’s defensive line was arguably the worst in the NFL as it was old and desperately needed an influx of talent.
While the Raiders were able to add Lamarr Houston in the second-round, Pierre-Paul was an exceptional talent at defensive end. In his one season for South Florida, “JPP” recorded 16.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. He tested as an above-average athlete at the NFL Combine with elite size and grew into one of the league’s best pass-rushers.
While injuries have been an issue for him throughout his career, he does have three seasons with at least 12.5 sacks and has totaled 36.5 sacks over the last four years of his career. Not only is he a great pass-rusher, but he is one of the best defensive ends against the run, as well.
Pierre-Paul was a bit of a projection coming into the NFL, but the Giants gambled on the production and his athleticism. It would have been fun to see what Pierre-Paul could have done next to Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly during the early years of the decade.
