January 1, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer (3) talks with wide receiver Danarius Moore (17) after the Raiders scored a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Chargers defeated the Raiders 38-26. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

During the 2012 NFL draft the Oakland Raiders were nearly invisible. From a fan’s perspective the draft was an empty one. The Raiders sat by and watched as other teams inked deals with big name players who will be hoping for a long NFL career. The fact of the matter is that no matter how good these players did in their underwear workouts the touchdowns they scored in college wont be translating over to the big leagues. I would love to see what Jeff George has to say to Andrew Luck about that. I wonder if RG3 recalls the name Heath Shuler (number 3 overall pick in 1994)? The Raiders on the other hand wont be leaving the fate of their franchise in the hands of a rookie.

Since the Raiders were not mentioned much on draft day lets talk about who they received for a first round pick. With the 17th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft the Oakland Raiders selected former Bengal, Carson Palmer. Picked by Cincinnati with the first overall pick in 2003 Carson Palmer had just won a heisman trophy. He was originally from Fresno, California and had decided to play college ball with the Trojans of USC. During his senior year at USC, Carson set school records in almost every category possible for a QB (passing yards, completions, and passing touchdowns). Becoming worthy of being selected number 1 overall by the Bengals. (Palmer was succeeded by Matt Leinart who ironically has been reported to be talking with the Raiders)

Carson Palmer rode the bench his rookie season learning under veteran, Jon Kitna. The next season Carson led the team to an 8-8 record struggling with interceptions which have since plagued him throughout his career. The following season (2005) the Palmer lead Bengals won the division with an 11-5 record making it to the playoffs. Unfortunately for Palmer his best season as a pro would be short lived. During the first playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Palmer suffered a career threatening knee injury. The knee injury didn’t stop a still young and determined Carson Palmer who bounced back the next season passing for over 4000 yards. Despite his success the Bengals would finish 8-8 and Carson would never again experience a winning season with the Bengals. The frustration of losing soon drove Palmer out of Cinncinatti and into Oakland.

The Raiders now for the first time since Rich Gannon, have a QB with a great future. The 2011 season showed everybody a glimpse of the rejuvenated Palmer (Throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns against the rival San Diego Chargers in only his second start). Carson Palmer has since had a whole off-season with his new team and new staff, and seems to have a very positive outlook on the upcoming season (as evident in his interviews). The Raiders first pick in the draft at number 95 says it all. Picking a big offensive lineman is the best way to tell your QB that he is going to be given the opportunity to lead his team on his feet rather than his back. The Raiders opening up on Monday Night Football will give Carson the stage to show everybody why he is the best pick for this team in the 2012 draft.

Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE

If you frequent JBB then you know we’ve spent the last month digging deep to find potential prospects for the Raiders in the upcoming draft. In any other year that would be an easy task. Not so much when you’re talking about mid to late round prospects and nothing else. Anybody can talk Andrew Luck, RGIII and Trent Richardson all day. Get back to me when you’re breaking down Bill Bentley and Andre Hardy.

That being said there is one name that isn’t likely to be called until the end of the draft, if at all, yet is sure to be discussed just as much as any first round pick. I’m speaking of that sparkplug of controversy known as Vontaze Burfict.

At this time last year Burfict was being called a first round pick. What a difference a year makes.

The now former Arizona State Sun Devil was being compared to Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis. Now at days he’d be lucky to be the next Brian Bosworth. At least the Boz got a lackluster acting career for his troubles. For Burfict it’s looking like pro wrestling could be calling.

The book on Burfict is that he’s an aggressive middle linebacker capable of dominating a game, imposing his will on the opposition and creating absolute havoc in every way possible. Sounds like it’s exactly what you’d want from a player. Too bad Burfict’s poor attitude, problematic penalty issues and horrible conditioning have all contributed to his free fall on NFL draft boards.

So the question has got to be asked. With the Raiders holding only 5 draft picks, the first of which isn’t until #95 overall, does it make sense to roll the dice on Burfict?

From a pure competition standpoint it could make a lot of sense. Getting Burfict on the way down could be ideal. If the Corona Centennial alum has any pride he’ll be eager to prove everybody wrong. The hope would be his fiery nature might inspire Rolando McClain, pushing Oakland’s current middle linebacker to reach his full potential.

Of course the concern with Burfict is that he doesn’t know where the line is. A guy like that could be explosive in the locker room especially during the heat of training camp battles where tempers boil over like unwatched pots on the stove.

Beyond what he might bring competition wise and to the locker room, the football issue is Burfict’s inconsistent play.

In some instances Burfict looks like an all-pro making plays all over the field and absolutely destroying the offensive game plan. At times he’s also as lost as Tim Tebow in a strip club.

Then there’s his penchant for racking up personal fouls. That’s something the Oakland Raiders are in desperate need of correcting coming off a record setting season for penalties. In that instance adding Burfict to Oakland would be like taking an AA meeting to a wedding with an open bar.

Oh…and we haven’t even discussed how horribly he’s handled himself in the draft preparation process.

All that being said the Raiders badly need a shot in the arm on defense and an inspired Burfict would be B-12 to an exhausted marathon runner.

Reggie McKenzie is no Al Davis. There is no doubt Davis would have taken the Burfict challenge. McKenzie on the other hand has a different approach. Still, you can’t ignore his talent and if the stars lineup getting Vontaze Burfict in the 7^th round could go down as one of the great steals in the history of the draft. But that comes with plenty of ifs.

Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

The general consensus among those paid to predict the NFL Draft is that the Oakland Raiders got Terrelle Pryor at fare value. Al Davis gave up a third round pick to select Pryor in the supplemental draft which is right about where he likely would have been valued in the 2012 NFL Draft. However those same “experts” also view Pryor’s athletic ability as the main reason why he’d be a third rounder behind bigger names like Andrew Luck, RGIII and Ryan Tannehill.

Though Pryor improved each year he played at Ohio State he never looked completely comfortable as a passer. His accuracy and mechanics have been questioned and many wonder if he wouldn’t be better served making a position change.

Of course there isn’t any way of knowing what type of pro passer Pryor is since he has yet to even throw a ball in an NFL game.

An even bigger mystery is what the future will hold for the project QB now that the Raiders have brought in a new regime, one that didn’t draft Pryor.

As it stands the Raiders don’t have a legit backup to Carson Palmer. You’d expect Reggie McKenzie to address that need after the draft by finding a veteran on the cheap. That means for the time being Pryor has until training camp to convince the coaching staff that he’s ready for the next step.

For all intents and purposes this will be Pryor’s rookie season. He didn’t join the Raiders until the conclusion of camp last year and then had to serve his commuted collegiate suspension. The only action Pryor saw was a failed QB sneak against the Chiefs that was over before it started due to a pre-snap penalty.

Apparently Hue Jackson had been working on a few packages that were to get Pryor involved in the offense but that never came to be. Kyle Boller needed only one half of football to convince Jackson to turn to Palmer and never look back.

As for the Raiders, if they’re looking ahead with Pryor in their plans then the voluntary offseason workouts will be crucial. Naturally there is no live action so Pryor’s progression will have to come in his grasp of the playbook and how sharp he looks in drills. Not the kind of stuff that convinces a coach he’s sitting on a Hall of Fame QB but very vital in establishing a sense of trust when turning an offense over to any thrower.

It might sound strange but Pryor could already be at the crossroads with the Raiders. He was an Al Davis guy and as we know most of those men were shown the exit upon McKenzie’s hire. It seems unlikely Pryor will rise to #2 on the depth chart going into camp. But that doesn’t mean there is no role for him on the roster. If the Raiders are sticking with Pryor as a fulltime QB then he’s got plenty to prove.

No matter what this team needs a better backup plan should Palmer become injured. It might already be a now or never scenario for Pryor. Something else Reggie McKenzie has done away with is the East Bay Scholarship Program which means emergency third string QB won’t be given an indefinite amount of time to prove they can play at the highest level.