Robert Gallery – 2004
By all accounts, Robert Gallery did not live up to expectations. There’s an idea surrounding offensive linemen that they’re “safe” picks when they excel at the position. Thus, you can understand the Raiders wanting to draft Gallery in 2004. The franchise was struggling to stay afloat following the debacle in Super Bowl 37. The team had no direction under coach Bill Callahan and desperately needed to set a solid foundation. The number two overall pick was an opportunity to land a premier player and…
… the Raiders chose Gallery.
The Iowa product struggled at right tackle. He struggled at left tackle. He ultimately switched to guard and was a serviceable player for a few years. Nevertheless, you don’t spend the second pick on an okay guard. To make matters worse, there were a number of players available that could have been selected. Larry Fitzgerald, Philip Rivers, Sean Taylor, Ben Roethlisberger, Jonathan Vilma, and Vince Wilfork were all there. Imagine any one of those players in the Silver and Black and maybe the outlook gets a little brighter in the 2000s. Heck, maybe Jamarcus Russell never touches a Raiders uniform if Rivers or Roethlisberger come through the door.
DJ Hayden – 2013
The 2013 draft was the first of Reggie McKenzie’s tenure to have a full slate of draft picks. The Raiders sent the third overall pick to the Miami Dolphins, who went on to draft Dion Jordan and got the 12th overall selection and a few additional picks in exchange.
The Raiders took Hayden out of Houston. At the time, the cornerback looked like a questionable pick largely due to a heart injury suffered in a drill during his college days. Despise that, the Raiders took him with hopes that he could be a complete cornerback in their system.
Narrator: He was not.
Often the target of deep passes and the subject of an excessive number of penalties, DJ Hayden is one pick Raider fans would like to forget.
[tps_title]Numbers four and five[/tps_title]