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

If Dennis Allen is going to take the Raiders down the 3-4 road on defense then he’ll need the right personnel. It’s not like you can just decide to make a pizza yet not have any dough or an oven to cook it in for that matter. Same goes for any defensive scheme, you’ve got to have all the right ingredients in place.

Of the draft visits we know the Raiders have hosted a lot of the defenders they’ve brought in have had ties to the 3-4. Cal defensive lineman Trevor Guyton would certainly fit that mold.

Now the Raiders haven’t shown any public interest in Guyton but considering he played in their backyard it would be hard to believe the Oakland scouting department didn’t give him a once or twice over.

None of the draft evaluators have Guyton being picked during the first two days of the upcoming event. NFL Mocks gives Guyton a 4^th round grade while others have him going as low as the 6^th round. Nobody denies Guyton’s talent as versatile lineman. In fact many believe he just didn’t get the chance to show his talents what with playing behind a couple of first round linemen until he got his chance to start as a senior. So this could be an ideal late round pick for Oakland as Guyton has the potential to blossom at the next level. Here’s a quick analysis of Cal’s Trevor Guyton.

Trevor Guyton, DE, UC Berkley

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 285lbs.

Strengths: Plenty of experience playing in the 3-4 during his time at Cal. Very versatile capable of playing most every position on the line. Plays with a high motor on every snap. Shows good technique in engaging blockers. Very capable tackler.

Weaknesses: Played behind two first round picks so saw limited time on field until senior year. Does not possess elite level athletic ability. Has struggled with double teams.

Reggie McKenzie is trying to build a winner and he’s going at it without a full compliment of tools. Nobody ever said running the Raiders was easy, Al Davis just made it look that way.

Of those tools McKenzie is missing the biggest are draft picks. He’s got five mid to late round picks at his disposal to find the talent necessary to help his building process. Safe to say the Raiders have got to get creative with their limited picks. So it’s not at all surprising that the Raiders are looking at a DIII prospect like Derrick Carrier.

Now I won’t even pretend to know anything about Carrier who played receiver at Beloit College. Heck, good luck trying to find video of the guy. All I know is he had an impressive pro day, will likely be a late round pick or a free agent and more than likely he’ll be playing tight end at the next level.

As it stands the Raiders already have a couple project tight ends in David Ausberry and the recently signed Andre Hardy. Will they bring in another in Carrier? We’ll just have to wait and see. Here is a quick analysis of Carrier

Derrick Carrier, WR/TE, Beloit College

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 238lbs.

Analysis: Had an impressive pro day featuring a 4.5-second and a 38” vertical. Highly productive at Beloit averaging 16 yards a catch, racking up over 1,000 receiving yards and 12 TDs. Would likely become a receiving tight end only but that is pretty common in the NFL these days. Has drawn interest from multiple NFL teams so Raiders could be gambling if they hope to land him as a UFA.