While the entire process has been reduced to a formality teams like the Oakland Raiders are still taking their time in inking their draft class. The Raiders aren’t alone with four other teams moving at a snail’s pace in getting their rookies under contract for the coming season.

Just goes to show you that even without Al Davis running the show the Raiders are still working at their own pace. There are also other franchises that are still playing follow the leader as if Davis were still pulling the strings.

In addition to Oakland the Cowboys, Saints, Jaguars and Rams are also void of any rookie contract “negotiations”. Perhaps just a business tactic, all of the previously mentioned teams have engaged in OTAs and rookie camps of some sort. Maybe the intention is to see which players are going to take those first steps towards being a true professional.

It rarely happens but just a few years back the Raiders cut a member of their draft class before training camp even started. The release of sixth rounder Styrker Sulak came before the team even offered him a contract. Not saying that is going to happen again but there is no doubt some evaluation in play. How else can you explain teams dragging their feet when there is no real negotiating involved anymore?

What makes Oakland’s situation so much different is that they have no high round draft picks to haggle with. Even though first round picks are slotted there is still some back and forth on guaranteed money and how the years are structured on a deal. For the Raiders their top pick was Utah’s Tony Bergstrom who didn’t come off the board until 95^th overall. There really is no reason not to have the entire class under contract yesterday.

But as mentioned it is all a formality anyway. The Raiders will open camp with all their rookies under contract as will every NFL team. There really is no reason not to.

Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Bill Belichick freely admits to stealing many of his football philosophies from Al Davis. That’s not the only thing the man many regard as the best coach in the game takes from Oakland. It’s also where he goes to fill his roster.

Over the years the Pats have built their success on both the ideals and eye for talent of Davis. Whenever the Raiders put a player on the open market you’d better believe Belichick is the first in line to look them over. That goes for household names like Randy Moss on down to no names like Stryker Sulak.

If the Raiders like a player then so too will the Pats. That’s the safest bet there is this side of putting your money on Jennifer Lopez being incapable of keeping a man.

Last season Sterling Moore joined the ranks of Raider cast-offs turned Patriot contributors. Now it’s Trevor Scott that continues the pipeline running from the Bay to the Northeast.

Scott was signed by the Pats today where he’ll no doubt become the darling of all media honks nationwide. At some point this season some lazy journalist out there will spend way too much time licking the man region of Belichick for his ability to unearth a player like Scott…as if dude never spent a minute of his career with the Raiders.

Back in 2008 the Raiders took the defensive end out of Buffalo University in the 6^th round. All Scott did was go out and lead all NFL rookies in sacks during his first lap around the league. Things were looking up for the talented pass rusher. Eventually the Raiders experimented with moving him to weakside linebacker. That would give way to a return to end where Scott was valued as a member of Oakland’s talented rotation along the D-line.

Then disaster struck in 2010. Scott tore his ACL covering a kick against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was shutdown for the rest of the season and spent all of 2011 trying to work his way back into the rotation. That never came to be and eventually the Raiders allowed him to walk in free agency.

No real surprise that Belichick would come calling. Scott is the hybrid type of player the defensive minded coach loves…oh…getting the Al Davis seal of approval doesn’t hurt either.

A native of New York State it also makes sense that Scott would return to the Northeast for the next phase of his career. Scott’s talent is real. Nobody every doubted that. He can rush the passer but doesn’t do much against the run. Somehow you get the feeling that Belichick and his camcorder will get the most out of whatever Scott has left to give.

However, McClain’s absence will have nothing to do with his demands. JaMarcus notwithstanding, the Raiders have had great success at signing draft picks and getting them into camp early. Look no further than Darrius Heyward-Bey who one year ago missed just one day of training camp after agreeing to a contract worth $38-million.

As the seventh pick in the ’09 draft, Heyward-Bey’s contract turned a few heads. In fact, the $23.5-million DHB is guaranteed to collect created shockwaves throughout the NFL.  Never one to follow others, Al Davis didn’t wait until all six players drafted in front of Hey-Bey were signed, thus creating the tidal wave of controversy that came crashing down when Michael Crabtree finally ended his near career suicidal contractual holdout.  

The DHB controversy originally stemmed from the surprise of the Raiders drafting the Maryland track star ahead of Crabtree. After that, his rookie deal was just lighter fluid sprayed on an already lit fire.

McClain will have to wait a little longer before becoming a millionaire. (Photo: YardBarker.com)

This time around there won’t be as much hoopla surrounding the deal Rolando McClain will sign. By selecting McClain instead of reaching for a less proven prospect, the Raiders bought themselves a drama free draft night. However, by selecting in the top 10 for the 5^th year in a row, the Raiders are once again obligated to commit another $15-20 million in guaranteed cash to an unknown commodity.

Despite the NFL’s standing as the king of all American sports, there is still much that needs to be done to rectify rookie salaries.

With Jacoby Ford under contract, the Raiders have just three unsigned picks remaining. On the small scale that would seem ideal. When you look at the big picture though, you’ll see that not a single first round pick is under contract yet.

If top pick Sam Bradford puts his John Hancock on the largest rookie contract in league history, you can expect the players picked behind him to follow suit. By all indications, Bradford is set to earn a cool $40-50 million in guaranteed money.

While McClain won’t be anywhere near Bradford’s zip code, you can expect that he’ll be looking for something in the Heyward-Bey neighborhood. Of course, that is all relative to what the teams in front of the Raiders are willing to commit to their respective rookies.   

As stated previously, the Raiders front office won’t be waiting for the rest of the league to set the standard for rookie contracts but they certainly will be cautious not to jump the gun.

Thus, the waiting game has officially begun.

As it stands, only second round pick Lamarr Houston and seventh round selection Stevie Brown remain for the Raiders to sign. Houston is likely to reach a deal in time for the start of camp. History is not on Brown’s side. The last member to join the Raiders 2010 Draft Class could go the way of Stryker Sulak if there is no deal in place in the coming days.

How long McClain and the Raiders will take to reach an agreement is unknown. Al Davis wastes little time in making moves, more often than not striking before the iron has even reached its highest temperature. With an uncertain future due to looming labor issues, this could be the year that Davis and Co. play it a little safer and allow the teams in front of them to set the market price for an 8^th pick in 2010. Or it could be business as usual and McClain will arrive early in camp with a multi-million dollar contract in hand.

Of course, we don’t know when to expect any of this to happen. Like McClain, the Raiders and the rest of the NFL, we’re all stuck waiting.