NFL First-Round Recap: Oakland Raiders

As we get ready for the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, the FanHouse is looking back at each team's 2007 first-round pick. Here's a look at the first overall in the draft, quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Who They Took: JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU

Who Else They Were Rumored to Consider: T Joe Thomas, WR Calvin Johnson

What We Said at the Time: "Fair or not, Russell will always be compared to Brady Quinn and Joe Thomas because the Raiders could have done a similar move if they had selected Thomas first. Still this was a very productive day for the Raiders."

What Russell Did: For the first 12 weeks of the season, not much. Russell was an observer until the Dec. 2 Broncos game, when he made a brief appearance during the second quarter, completing 4 of 7 passes for 56 yards. He didn't dress the following week in Green Bay (too cold, coach's decision).

He did see action in the final three games, and started the season finale against the Chargers. Oakland was 0-4 over that stretch, but Russell gained valuable experience. He finished the year 36 of 66 for 373 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. His numbers aren't particularly noteworthy, but at this point they don't need to be. More importantly, Russell showed improvement over the course of the season.

Looking into the Future: Well, unless something totally unexpected happens (like, say, Al Davis fires Lane Kiffin, hires Jason Whitlock and he installs Jeff George as the starting quarterback), it's Russell's job. He made some progress as a rookie, but he'll need to get a lot better to help turn around a Raiders organization that has floundered since losing to Jon Gruden and the Buccaneers in the 2002 Super Bowl.

Would They Do It All Over? Yep, I'd like to think so. Josh McCown, Daunte Culpepper and Andrew Walter didn't exactly make anybody reconsider the pick, and even if the Raiders had taken Calvin Johnson, it's not clear who would be throwing him the ball. Johnson has a great chance to be a special player, but teams can find wideouts. Franchise quarterbacks are much harder to come by.

Grade: D. This grade is strictly based on the fact that Russell didn't see the field for most of the season. That's not his fault -- Kiffin did the right thing by not rushing him -- but I didn't want to squirm out of this little exercise by saying Russell's grade is TBD. So, yeah, he gets a low mark. But I fully expect him to be the Raiders quarterback for the next decade. Assuming Al Davis doesn't sell the team to Canada or something.