John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

I won’t pretend as if I’ve seen every snap of Philip Wheelers’ pro career. To be perfectly honest I barely even paid much attention to him during his time in Indianapolis. All I knew of the Georgia native was that he was an asset in defensing the run and a likely temporary solution for the Raiders during this transition phase.

Shows what I know.

Not only has Wheeler’s play almost guaranteed him a job in Oakland beyond 2012 but he’s also developing into a well rounded linebacker only seven games into his Raider career.

Seeing Wheeler play the last few weeks have been a revelation. He plays physical, flies to the ball and lays the wood to opposing QBs in the most punishing fashion. In shot, Wheeler is a Raider in every since of the word.

So impressed with his grasp on the defensive concepts were the coaches that the play calling duties were stripped from Rolando McClain and handed over to Wheeler. That’s saying something for an afterthought of a free agent that was expected to keep the seat warm for a suitable replacement.

Now Wheeler is the one that is indispensable while former top pick McClain has real reason to be looking over his shoulder.

Soon Aaron Curry will be back in action. Both Wheeler and Curry are capable of playing every linebacker position in Dennis Allen’s scheme. Combine that with the improving play of rookie Miles Burris and you’ve got yourself an odd man out…unless Allen decides to go 3-4 fulltime.

No matter the future of Oakland’s defensive scheme you can count on Wheeler being a part of it. His high motor and aggressive style of play has helped turn a terrible defense into a somewhat respectable one and that’s in just over a month of ball. Imagine what might happen if this upward arc continues throughout the balance of the season. With Wheeler leading the charge don’t think for a second that isn’t possible.

Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

Will Rolando McClain be suspended, in jail or just outright released this season? Can Aaron Curry establish himself as a legit starting linebacker in the NFL? Is Philip Wheeler a temporary solution only? Did the Raiders truly find a “diamond in the rough” in Miles Burris? Does Travis Goethel have a breakout season coming?

We could keep this line of questioning going until Dwight Howard gets traded and odds are there would still be more concerns for Oakland’s linebackers. There isn’t another unit on the team with more uncertainty.

Of course these days just about every position has plenty of questions to be answered and the man playing Alex Trebek in this version of Raiders Jeopardy is Reggie McKenzie.

McKenzie inherited a roster that isn’t exactly tailored to his football philosophy on both talent evaluation and spending. Therefore everyone on the roster not named Darren McFadden or Tyvon Branch is pretty much playing on a one-year contract.

For the Raiders linebackers there’s no guarantee any of them will even make it though the first training camp of the Dennis Allen era never mind the firs year of the McKenzie regime. For all we know McKenzie could opt to simply part ways with McClain if his legal woes and potential suspension lead to a lost season. Curry is already down to his last chance to validate his starting job. McKenzie isn’t the type to keep freakish athletes on scholarship. And Wheeler has the look of a temporary fix for a problem without a long-term solution.

While there are plenty of positions that will create some heated camp battles perhaps nothing will rival the wars waged amongst the linebackers. With a limited budget and unwilling to trade future picks, McKenzie appears prepared to stay the course with his current crop. But beyond 2012 nothing is promised and there is a real possibility we’ll see an entirely new group of linebackers in silver and black one year from now.

Reggie McKenzie’s first draft as Oakland’s general managers might not be a memorable one. Then again, for all we know McKenzie and his staff might have unearthed a future Hall of Famer. Or it could be that all McKenzie’s done is gone out and grabbed enough players to fill out Dennis Allen’s special teams for next season.

Like any draft it’s just far too early to tell.

What we know for sure is that there was a heavy emphasis on defense what with four of Oakland’s six picks being defenders. There’s also an interesting trend of guys with basketball backgrounds becoming Raiders on McKenzie’s watch. We already knew about the recent signing of former Cal State Fullerton baller Andre Hardy before the draft. As Vittorio Tafur points out several players drafted by the Raiders also have hoops backgrounds.

No matter their football experience most of this draft was about building for the future. Not so much in the true football sense. Yes, these prospects will have to be coached up in order to contribute. More importantly it appears as if McKenzie is just trying to create a competitive atmosphere going into camp.

How successful this draft class may or may not be won’t be known for years. Then again, when your first pick isn’t until #95 overall there’s a chance you could know all you need to of this class by the end of the coming season. Either way, time will tell.

Here is the Oakland Raiders 2012 draft class.

Tony Bergstrom, OT, Utah – 3^rd Round, 95^th overall – Bergstrom might not have been a name on the tips of many draftnik’s tongues…well…expect for the readers of JBB who knew about him almost a month before the draft began. None the less McKenzie’s first pick should be a solid addition to the O-line. Bergstrom was a three year starter at right tackle, a team captain and played in the zone-blocking-scheme so he should fit right in with Greg Knapp’s plans. He’ll likely move to guard where he could become a starter in the near future. He’s a couple years older than his classmates so Bergstrom also has a bit of a veteran quality if any rookie ever had one.

Miles Burris, OLB, San Diego State – 4^th Round, 129^th overall – Taking Burris in the fourth was viewed as a bit of reach. Chances are Oakland could have still landed him in the 5^th but when you have a chance to grab your guy you take him. Burris is a high motor, downhill type of linebacker that has special teams ace written all over him. He’ll also get a chance to compete for snaps too. McKenzie made no secret that outside linebacker is a position of need and as evident by Philip Wheeler’s one-year contract Oakland is still looking for a more permanent solution.

Jack Crawford, DE, Penn State – 5^th Round, 158^th overall – Crawford is among the aforementioned projects McKenzie and the Raiders have undertaken. He is originally from England and didn’t pick up American football until much later. Still, he’s got some athletic upside and plenty of potential. It seems unlikely you’ll see much from him early on but there is a certain Matt Shaughnessy feel to this pick. This selection is also noteworthy as McKenzie traded down with the Lions in the 5^th to get an additional pick in the 7^th round. Detroit traded up to land sleeper cornerback prospect Chris Greenwood, a guy JBB had pegged as a potential Raider. Time will tell but maybe the Lions were onto something.

Juron Criner, WR, Arizona – 5^th Round, 168^th overall – Criner is an intriguing prospect. Anybody that follows the now PAC 12 will be very familiar with his talents. At one point Criner was being talked up as a possible early round pick. Then some inconsistent performances combined with a slow 40-yard dash saw his stock drop. What Criner can do is go get the ball when it’s in the air. This isn’t a guy who waits for the ball to come to him, he attacks it. He also runs very good routes and has good size (6’3”, 224lbs) for an NFL receiver. Could this mean the end of the Louis Murphy era? All will be revealed during those heated camp battles.

Christo Bilukidi, DT, Georgia State – 6^th Round, 189^th overall – Enter the wildcard. This wasn’t a name that got talked up much leading up to the draft but if things go according to plan you’ll hear plenty of praise for this pick. Bilukidi took one of the most unorthodox routes to the NFL including playing high school hoops in Canada, football at a JUCO in Arizona before finally earning a scholarship at Georgia State. He’s an athletic freak that plays with a high motor. He’s also a massive project as his talents are raw. Who knows what will come of this pick but McKenzie showed some of his inner Al Davis on this one.

Nate Stupar, OLB, Penn State – 7^th round, 230^th overall – With McKenzie’s additional pick he took a guy that is almost exclusively a special teamer. But at this point in the draft you’re just looking for value. If Stupar can make the 53-man then he’ll earn his keep covering kicks. He only stared 7 games at Penn State but was a special teams fixture. At least he’ll be greeted by familiar faces in Oakland. Including the Stefen Wisniewski pick last year the Raiders have grabbed three Nittany Lions in two years.