Every team has their fair share of busts as the NFL Draft is an inexact science. However, the Raiders have seemingly had more busts than most over the last few decades.
In a recent article by USA Today, Nate Davis wrote about the top-100 draft busts of all-time. Unfortunately for Oakland, they saw one of their picks from the 2007 draft appear inside of the top-three. Take a look at Davis’ thoughts on ex-Raiders’ quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
3. QB JaMarcus Russell, 1st overall 2007, Raiders: It turned out to be a miserable year for passers, the likes of Brady Quinn, Kevin Kolb and John Beck taken later on. But Russell, who began his career with a lengthy holdout, never fulfilled the hype generated by his howitzer arm and legendary pro day. He lasted only three seasons, losing 18 of 25 starts and compiling an abysmal 65.2 QB rating, before laziness and weight gain washed him out of the league. Who could Oakland have taken instead? Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis all came off the board in the first half of Round 1.
You can make a case that Russell should have been higher on this list considering just how poorly is he career went and the players that were selected after him. The pick couldn’t have turned out worse for the Raiders as they whiffed on their quarterback and passed up the opportunity to take Hall of Fame talents in Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and Joe Thomas.
Other Raiders’ picks that wound up inside the top-100 draft busts of all-time were Robert Gallery, Todd Marinovich, and Sebastian Janikowski.
