Raiders Take McFadden at No. 4

The Oakland Raiders just selected Darren McFadden, making the Arkansas running back the 4th pick overall in the NFL Draft.

It's exciting to know McFadden will don the black and silver. I had no idea where he would land, but in hindsight this pick isn't surprising. Al Davis likes skill position players of Heisman stature. Marcus Allen and Tim Brown both played at Oakland. Both won the Heisman.

McFadden should have won the Heisman, but got snubbed along with the whole state of Arkansas. Thanks for nothing, Downtown Athletic Club. So, the Raiders picked a Heisman-caliber runner to shore up their backfield. That's a fairly good haul for Oakland.

Perhaps Davis didn't want to look back on this draft three or four years later wondering what would have happened if he had picked McFadden. Miami, St. Louis and Atlanta, the teams with this year's first three picks, might ask that question in time. Sure, Miami has Ricky Williams, and the team probably can't shop him because no one wants him. And Bill Parcells certainly knows what he is doing. Who am I to second guess? No, really. Who am I to second guess? But I might would have taken McFadden anyway. Williams has been a problem player for most of his NFL career. Who knows what kind of production the Dolphins will get out of him in seasons to come. He could be brilliant. He could be a train wreck. There's no guarantees with that poor guy.