If your only working knowledge of the NFL is related to fantasy football then you’d think the emergence of Darren McFadden was the biggest reason why the Raiders ran through the AFC West last season. But ask any member of Raider Nation and they’ll tell you Run DMC’s spectacular season was only part of the Raider resurgence. Perhaps the biggest reason why the Silver and Black got back on track was the stellar play of the defensive line.

In recent years the D-line has been an embarrassment. Rarely getting pressure on the opposing quarterback. Always getting blown off the line and manhandled against the run. The D-line has been downright depressing.

In 2010, the D-line was straight dominant.

Seymour, Kelly, Shaughnessy and the rookie stud Houston all registered 5 or more sacks helping to bring some of that Raider swagger back.
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The pundits had a field day lampooning the misguided Raider front office as it appeared that Al Davis had once again restocked the cooler of Haterade in Bristol, Connecticut.

Raiders missed out on Raji

In the long run, taking DHB over Crabtree could prove to be a moot point. Neither the 49ers, who selected Crabtree, nor the Raiders are a receiver away from contending. Mike Singletary has already nearly brought the former Texas Tech stud to tears in an OTA and Heyward-Bey’s hamstring is looking like the 2009 edition of Darren McFadden’s turf toes.

Where the Raider Haters worldwide missed the boat on draft day were the two opportunities the Silver and Black had to attempt to fix the true Achilles’ heel of the past six years; the run defense.

With the decision to draft DHB when the best defensive tackle in the draft, B.J. Raji, was on the board, the message was clear. Al Davis wasn’t going to commit $20 million to a rookie defensive lineman. Heyward-Bey’s name was called and the first chance to select a run stopper went by the wayside. The Green Bay Packers, also a team in need of better run support, took Raji at #9.

Pats made a move to get Brace

By the start of the second round, yet another chance to get a solid defensive tackle presented itself. Raji’s Boston College teammate Ron Brace was on the board. This time, the Raiders deferred instead opting to trade with the New England Patriots. (Note to Al Davis, stop trading with the Pats! Ok, so the Doug Gabriel deal was a wash, but the Randy Moss move nearly gifted the Hoodie a big piece of history were it not for the stickum on David Tyree’s helmet)

The Raiders, seeking to add draft picks, swapped second round picks with the Pats and gained an addition pick in the 6^th round. Of course, New England moved up to take Ron Brace while the Raiders slid back to grab the surprise of the draft, safety Michael Mitchell.

That pick in the 6^th round from New England was used to select Missouri defensive end Stryker Sulak. The now infamously waived prior to training camp Stryker Sulak.

Letting go of Sulak is not as big a deal as many are making it out to be. His chances of making the squad were slim after a failed attempt to convert the pass rusher into an outside linebacker. He was not going to unseat any of the other ends in front of him, including third round choice Matt Shaughnessy. In a lot of ways, the Raiders did Sulak a favor by giving him enough time to line up another suitor.

6^th round picks are a gamble and very few make it through three years of pro football. There are always exceptions but this was a numbers game.

After it is all said and done, the 2009 season could very well be defined by the draft. With two chances to get invaluable help against the run, the Raiders chose to try their luck elsewhere.

DHB might be able to stretch the field for JaMarcus Russell, but that means little if the opposition is consuming the clock by pounding the rock.

A recipe for disaster might have been created by constructing a big play offense who might not keep the ball long enough to save a drowning defense that might not be good enough to get off the field on rushing downs.

The last time the Raiders selected a defensive tackle higher than the 6^th round was in 2000 when Arizona State’s Junior Ioane was picked in round 4. In fact, in the last eight years only two defensive tackles have been drafted by the Raiders – Anttaj Hawthore (2005) and Chris Cooper (2001).

Many will debate Crabtree or DHB, the truth is that the real discussion point is DHB and Mitchell over Raji and Brace. Unless John Marshall is a miracle worker, it seems like this could be the talking point for the next six years.

There is no guarantee that either Raji or Brace will pan out. However, drafting either would have been much better than what the Raiders have done thus far to address their woeful run defense, which has been to do nothing at all except to change the rug when there is clearly a hole in the ceiling.

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While I was not happy with the Darrius Heyward-Bey selection, it had nothing to do with Michael Crabtree at all. In fact, I couldn’t have been happier that the Raiders passed on the Texas Teach receiver. My disappointment stemmed from the fact that B.J. Raji was available and Al Davis passed on him. Just how is that run defense going to improve?

Whatever your opinion is, the facts are that DHB is a Raider and his name was just the first of seven new names to appear in Silver and Black. Here is a rundown of the Class of 2009.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland (Round 1, Pick 7) - Most folks expected the unexpected for the ’09 draft, leave it to Al Davis to deliver it. By picking the fastest receiver in the draft, most felt that Mr. Davis chose his stopwatch over Michael Crabtree’s highlights. Whatever the case, Heyward-Bey is a Raider and Crabtree is a 49er. We’ll debate this for years to come. If there is one fact that went unnoticed by the crack staff of Disney that covered the draft, it was the fact that Al Davis has not drafted a wide receiver in round one since picking a guy from Notre Dame named Tim Brown with the 6^th pick back in 1988. Maybe Al knows something Mel Kiper doesn’t.

Michael Mitchell, S, Ohio University, (Roun 2, Pick 47) - As shocking as DHB’s selection was in round one, Mitchell’s name being called in round two was equally befuddling to the Disney commentators. Little was known of the Ohio safety who was not invited to the draft combine and his announcement sent Chris Berman into a fit as he couldn’t find Mitchell’s name in the nice and neat program some production assistant handed to him during a commercial break. Again, Mel Kiper took this pick to task and said he had no business being selected as high as he was. I’m not a draft expert, but since when was it blasphemous to not do what the Mighty Mel says you should? The only complaint with this pick was that the Raiders once again traded with the New England Patriots as they swapped 2^nd round picks and the Raiders added another 4^th and 6^th round pick as well. (If you’ve never seen Mitchell, click on his name above for a great reel)

Matt Shaughnessy , DE , Wisconsin (Round 3, Pick 71) - Shaughnessy is described as being versatile enough to play both end positions and tackle in a three-technique. He’s known to be a hard worker and his biggest question marks might be his lack of great NFL speed on the edges (4.91 40-yard dash) and his injuries during his career in the Big 10. Despite having some serious injuries (broken fibula 2008, ACL tear 2006) Shaughnessy missed very little time.

Louis Murphy, WR, Florida (Round 4, Pick 124) - Murphy might be the best “pro-ready” receiver on a Florida team that included Percy Harvin who was a first round pick of the Minnesota Vikings. As you might expect, Murphy has a track background and ran a 4.43 second 40-yard dash at the combine. In addition, Murphy has great size (6’2″, 203 lbs) and could be a threat to any number of receivers currently on the Raider roster. While picking another receiver might not have been the best bet, Murphy could be a real steal.

Slade Norris, OLB, Oregon State (Round 4, Pick 126) - This is an interesting pick as Norris began his college career as a safety. The Beaver coaching staff was at a loss for what to do with Norris and used him as a pass rusher until making the Oregon native a full time starter at OLB as a senior. Norris looks like he’ll be a special teams contributor initially, but he could push Ricky Brown and Sam Williams for time on the field as well.

Stryker Sulak, DE, Missouri (Round 6, Pick 199) – Sulak is sure to be a member of the NFL’s all-name team if he makes the roster. Stryker is a pure athlete who put up some impressive numbers at the combine including a 4.7 second 40-yard dash, 22 reps of 225 lbs and a 31″ vertical. Not bad for a 6’5″, 250 lbs lineman. Sulak recorded 10.5 sacks as a senior at Missouri and led the NCAA in 2008 with six forced fumbles.

Brandon Myers, TE, Iowa (Round 6, Pick 202) – Myers could fill the need for a blocking tight end to compliment Zach Miller when the Raiders use a double TE set. Not known as a pass catcher, Myers caught the attention of the Iowa coaching staff  after scoring 5 TDs on just 21 receptions as a junior. Brandon finished his senior year as the co-leaderof the Iowa Hawkeyes with 4 receiving touchdowns and was an All-Big 10 selection in 2008. Myers was also part of an o-line that opened some massive holes for New York Jets third round selection, running back Shonn Greene.

Go ahead and throw these names into the time capsule. We’ll revisit this class in three years. For now, the biggest question is will these players alone be enough to help round out the roster? More moves are sure to come, as it stands this is Tom Cable’s first taste of the draft and depending on how they perform, it could be his most important.