Brandon Myers and Richard Gordon are blockers by trade who just so happen to catch an occasional pass. Same could be said for the man they’re trying to replace, Kevin Boss. In fact the only tight end that can even be thought of as a threat in the passing game is David Ausberry, the project receiver learning a new position in the pros.

With the way the tight end position has evolved it would appear as if the Raiders are rolling back the clock. While most franchises are looking for receivers that can occasionally block the Raiders are stocked with blockers that occasionally catch.

May 15, 2012; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders senior offensive assistant Al Saunders (right) talks with tight end David Ausberry (86) at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The good news for the Raiders is that Carson Palmer is no Jason Campbell. JC was a check down champion that needed a reliable receiver at tight end. Palmer is more of a downfield risk taker that is more likely to try and squeeze one into a narrow window 30 yards away than he is to dump one off to a big body 8 yards in front of him.

That’s not to say one approach is better than the other. Palmer’s style is just more suited to what this current roster consists of.

The real concern is the amount of experience and depth the Raiders have at the position, which at this point is pretty much none at all.

Myers is the senior member of the unit and he has just 32 catches in 3 years to his name half of which came in 2011. Myers was never known as a receiver coming out of Iowa and his career best of 9.4 yards per catch says not much has changed in the pros.

Both Ausberry and Gordon are works in progress each with potential yet neither with any real game experience. Gordon saw the most action as a rookie playing in a multitude of packages including making a start at fullback. He’s a bruising blocker but offers almost nothing as a receiver.

Ausberry is the wildcard blessed with an athletic skill set that has some seeing another Antonio Gates type talent hitting the AFC West. But that is all wishful thinking at this point. He’s the best receiving option of Oakland’s tight ends but still has to make plenty of progress in other areas before he can be an every down player.

The only other tight end currently listed on the Raiders roster is Boise State UFA Kyle Efaw. He could get a look on the practice squad but barring a miracle we’re likely looking at the aforementioned three headed monster being Oakland’s tight end all rolled into one.

For Reggie McKenzie this is all part of the process. He knows his team is thin in some key areas. That’s just the way it’s going to be until things are all sorted out. So, if you asked McKenzie if he feels his team is too thin at tight end he’d likely say ‘yes’ and remind you the same goes for right tackle, cornerback, linebacker and a few other positions at the moment. That’s just the way it is. You take the field with the team you have and not the one you want.

When the Oakland Raiders signed Cal State Fullerton hoopster turned tight end Andre Hardy just over a month ago the best case scenario was that they unearthed the next Antonio Gates. If that is going to happen it won’t be in silver and black for Hardy.

Today the Raiders parted ways with Hardy, waiving the former baller along with quarterback Rhett Bomar. Hardy is reported to have been dealing with an injury that prevented him from fully participating in the team’s rookie mini-camp over the weekend.

Hardy’s odds of making the practice squad, let alone the 53-man, were long to say the least. But his fate was all but sealed once the Raiders announced the signings of seven players that participated in their rookie camp. Among those seven is Kyle Efaw, a tight end from Boise State. That would have made five tight ends on the Raider roster if you count Hardy.

Clearly the Raiders would rather focus their efforts on a project player like David Ausberry has played football has entire life and is just learning a new position. On the other hand Hardy is trying to learn the entire game, not just the position, at the highest level. Hardy’s quick departure is not only a reminder of how difficult it is to make an NFL roster but also shows how truly unique a talent Gates is. Turning hoopsters into tight ends might be a trend but that doesn’t make it easy.

Basketball and football have always been connected in one way or another. Al Davis openly admitted that John Wooden’s defensive style was the biggest influence on his usage of the bump and run. For whatever reason every football player thinks he can ball. And for good measure these days most power forwards seem to think they can play football too.

That’s just one of the reasons why the Raiders are taking a chance on Cal State Fullerton power forward Andre Hardy. Though he’s never played a snap of collegiate football the Raiders signed the soon to be NFL tight end today. For a breakdown on Hardy you can check JBB’s draft analysis of him from earlier this week.

Collegiate hoopsters turning into NFL pass catchers are nothing new under the sun, especially not in the AFC West and definitely not for the Raiders.

Naturally the conversation begins with man most refer to as perhaps the best tight to end ever play. Before Tony Gonzalez was terrorizing the AFC West as a Chief he was a two sport stud at UC Berkley.

As for the Raiders, this isn’t unfamiliar territory at all. Al Davis once took a tight end from Ohio State with the ninth pick in the draft named Rickey Dudley who just so happened to also play hoops for the Buckeyes. In more recent years Stanford alum Teyo Johnson was a second round pick as a tight end that doubled as a forward for the Cardinal hoops squad.

Between the two Dudley had the better career though he never lived up to his top 10 draft status. Johnson was out of the NFL in three years largely due to his JaMarcus Russell-esque work ethic but mainly due to his T.O.-like attitude.

While we’re on the subject might as well mention Ronald Curry who played quarterback and point guard for the University of North Carolina before becoming a wide receiver in Oakland.

Of course the man that really brought the hoops to football conversion into the modern era was San Diego Charger Antonio Gates. Here is where the Raiders are hoping to catch lightening in a bottle. Like Hardy, Gates played no collegiate football whatsoever yet was unearthed by the San Diego scouting department. He has sine gone on to become one of the most dangerous weapons in the history of the position.

Perhaps influenced by  Gates’ transition, Hardy no doubt saw him play for the Bolts as he went to high school in San Diego. Hardy’s father also has a football background playing for three different franchises during his brief NFL career in the 80′s.

Recently New Orleans record setter Jimmy Graham has taken a similar route.

So, just because Reggie McKenzie is doing away with many of the Al Davis practices doesn’t mean the Davis philosophies aren’t still alive and well. Rolling the dice on an unproven yet athletically gifted player with potential is right out of the Davis playbook. Unless Hardy can beat out David Ausberry, Richard Gordon or Brandon Myers then chances are Hardy will be a practice squad player if he makes it to the final roster cuts and clears waivers. That is unless Dennis Allen goes Hue Jackson and carries four tight ends on the 53-man.