Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

In this day and age of professional football the NFL Draft might as well be the Super Bowl for all 32 franchises. With the restrictions of the salary cap it has become increasingly important for NFL teams to find premium talent every year in the draft.

These days rookies are expected to be valued contributors from day one if not be prepared for the moment their number is called during the season.

Last year probably provided Reggie McKenzie with the most challenging offseason a first year general manager will ever endure. First there was the complete restructuring of the front office. Next came an overhaul of the entire coaching staff followed by the task of tackling the many toxic contracts inherited from the previous regime.

As if that we’re enough to make McKenzie rethink his decision to leave Green Bay, the Raiders would have had but two draft picks were it not for the compensatory picks awarded by the NFL.

So in essence McKenzie was handed an impossible situation. To his credit he and his staff found some talent in the NCAA by unearthing valued contributors like 4^th round pick Miles Burris and undrafted free agent Rod Streater.

This time around McKenzie has a healthy compliment of draft picks even those he’s still down a 2^nd and 5^th round selection due to a couple failed trades. None the less the cupboard again has supplies. Now all that remains is to make the most of those picks.

Of course given the hideous nature of the 2012 season there isn’t any time to wait and see how the 2013 draft class pans out. The men welcomed into the Silver and Black fraternity in April will be expected to make meaningful contributions come September.

The cap situation still isn’t sorted out which means the roster remains very much influx. Toss in the likely free agent departures and the number of holes to be filled grows like a golf course with a gopher infestation. That’s why the NFL’s scouting combine is critical for McKenzie and the Raiders’ coaching staff who will be conducting the drills the future NFLers will be going through.

Another first round bust cannot be afforded. A class with more promise than production simply isn’t allowed. McKenzie’s keen eyes must be peeled at all times as the combine begins because there quite frankly isn’t much job security for a regime that keeps preaching patience in a win-now business.

Improving starts with getting more talent in positions of need and the swap meet of pro football that is the NFL Draft is certainly a great place to start. Of course nothing is guaranteed in the draft but the more opportunities a team gets to evaluate potential prospects the better the odds are of avoiding another JaMistake.

Perhaps the NFL wants the Raiders to avoid the pitfalls of the draft that have plagued them in recent years (at least in the first round of said draft). First Allen and his staff were fortunate enough to coach at the Senior Bowl giving them access to many top prospects via a week of practice. Now the league is giving those same coaches yet another chance to see future NFL talent up close and personal.

The Raiders have announced via Twitter (these clearly are no longer your Al Davis Raiders) that their coaches will be conducting drills at the NFL Scouting Combine. That means the Raiders’ staff will be hands on with many of the players they’ve only previously seen on tape. It also means they’ll get to see firsthand how future Raiders go about their business in the biggest job interview a football player will ever go through.

Of course none of this guarantees the Raiders will find a future Hall of Famer but it certainly helps in the weeding out process.

John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE

Even without a first round pick or even the prospects of acquiring a first round pick the Oakland Raiders interviewed a probable first round pick at the NFL scouting combine. At least that’s what troubled but talented University of Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is claiming. In fact the Raiders aren’t even the only AFC West team showing some interest in kicking the tires on Kirkpatrick as he also states the San Diego Chargers were among the five teams that sat down with him.

It goes without saying that the position of cornerback is of high priority for the Oakland Raiders. Reggie McKenzie’s abrupt release of Stanford Routt has left Oakland without a top corner. Of course one could argue they didn’t even have one with Routt on the team. But that’s another topic.

That the Raiders would want to listen to what Kirkpatrick has to say indicates they may have some designs on trying to move into the first round or they’re betting on his draft stock to continue to slide.

Among the top DB prospects in the draft, Kirkpatrick has seen his character issues come to forefront of any and every concentration surrounding his NFL future. Only days after declaring for the draft Kirkpatrick was arrested. The charges dropped later but the incident raised some red flags. Beyond legal issues, his attitude has been questioned as well.

Something no pro scout questions is his talent. Kirkpatrick is blessed with amazing athleticism, great size for an NFL corner and has plenty of potential. In some early mock drafts he was being pegged as the second corner to come off the board after rival LSU corner Morris Claiborne.

As the defensive backs have yet to perform at the combine there is a chance Kirkpatrick’s stock could rise once again making it nearly impossible for the Raiders to move into position where he might be within their reach. With no picks of value to trade the Raiders would have to offer an elite player like a Darren McFadden and future picks in order to get into the first round you’d imagine.