Reggie McKenzie’s players will be on the field

Aug 9, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie looks on before the preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at O.Co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Entering into the 2014 off-season, speculation swarmed around the Oakland Raiders organization, especially regarding how much money the Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie had to spend on Free Agents coupled with the availability of draft picks.  Comments continued to spew up from the ground about how the Raiders don’t keep draft picks, and there’s a constant “changing of the guard” so to speak.

Yes, there have been a bunch of changes and the roster has had a ton of cycling in and out going on.  However, you cannot say that Reggie, and the Raiders, haven’t been keeping their draft picks.  Of course when 2013 4th Round Draft Picks like QB Tyler Wilson don’t pan out, that can be a telling sign of a lack player scouting, or it could just be considered a mistake.  In football, mistakes are made daily.  Not everyone who gets drafted makes an NFL roster.  I was frustrated with the outcome of that pick too, but I can’t fault McKenzie for trying.

Back to the draft picks working out and being retained.  I did some digging around the draft archives for the Oakland Raiders, and I found some very interesting things out.  First, the Raiders have retained a good amount of their draft picks since the McKenzie organization began.  What is also intriguing is the amount of drafted players prior to McKenzie taking over who are still on the roster now.  Plus, one of those players drafted in 2006 was brought back to be a factor along the offensive line.  So let’s dive into this and see who they are.