With the 2011 regular season freshly over it is time to go back and evaluate every team’s draft classes based on performance this year. I will use a formula to grade each pick and calculuate a final grade for each team. The Oakland Raiders are the final team to get evaluated since they didn’t pick until the second round.
ROUND 1 – graded from a 0-5 scale
ROUND 2 – graded from a 0-4 scale
ROUND 3 – graded from a 0-3 scale
ROUND 4 – graded from a 0-2 scale
ROUND 5 – graded from a 0-1 scale
ROUND 6 & 7 – no scale, point awarded if player was productive
*I reserve the right to award a bonus point to any player who outperformed their draft position.*
FINAL GRADING SCALE
90-100 – A
80-89 - B
70-79 - C
60 -69 - D
0-59 - F
2011 Draft Class
Round 2: Stefen Wisniewski G, Penn St. – 16 Games Started
Analysis: The Raiders drafted Wisniewski as a center and moved him to guard where he went on to start all 16 games.
Grade: 5/4
Round 3: DeMarcus Van Dyke CB, Miami - 13 Tackles, 1 INT
Analysis: Van Dyke’s stats aren’t super impressive, but he did play in 14 games with 4 starts. That gives the Raiders some value for their third round choice.
Grade: 2/3
Round 3: Joe Barksdale OT, LSU – 16 Games played
Analysis: Barksdale didn’t start any games but he did appear in 16 as a rotational tackle.
Grade: 2/3
Round 4: Chimdi Chekwa CB, Ohio St.- 8 Tackles
Analysis: Chekwa appeared in 4 games with one start but was hampered by a hamstring injury most of the season, and it eventually put him on I.R. in November.
Grade: 1/2
Round 4: Taiwan Jones RB, Eastern Washington – 73 Rush Yds, 2 Receptions 25 Yds
Analysis: Jones participated in 13 games mostly as a return man but he did get a few carries and caught a couple balls.
Grade: .5/1
Round 5: Denarius Moore WR, Tennessee – 33 Receptions, 618 Yds, 5 TDs, 61 Rushing Yds, 1 TD
Analysis: Moore was a huge steal for the Raiders. He blew up in week 2 and became their most dangerous target in the passing game. He added a bit as a returner as well. His stats would be even better if he didn’t miss 3 games with an injury.
Grade: 2/1
Round 6: Richard Gordon TE, Miami - 1 Reception, 2 Yds
Analysis: Gordon played in 14 games, starting one,. He was primarily used as a blocker.
Grade: .25/0
Round 6: David Ausberry WR/TE, USC – 2 Receptions, 14 Yds
Analysis: Ausberry played in 12 games and caught a couple balls. Most teams get less from a sixth rounder.
Grade: .25/0
TOTAL SCORE: 13 / 14
FINAL GRADE: 93% A
Analysis: The Raiders didn’t have a first round pick in 2011 but still managed to find plenty of help in this draft. In fact they got a little production out of every pick they made. Wisniewski played very well at guard and will start there again next season or possibly move to center. The other highlight of this class is Denarius Moore. He was electric in training camp and he carried that over into the regular season. He looks to be a future starter and possibly their no. 1 receiver. The rest of their picks will see increased playing time in 2012 so this grade should hold up over time. The Raiders showed they can have an impactful drat class even without a first round pick, which is good, since they may not have another one until the 2014 Draft.
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