As the Raiders inch closer to accepting reality regarding the exploding Hindenburg that is the NFL career of JaMarcus Russell, let’s consider the other options that the Raiders had at quarterback in 2007.
At the top of the draft, the Raiders had two quarterbacks from which to choose: Russell and Brady Quinn. To date, neither has done much of anything.
But the Raiders could have waited until round two, where the only good (to date) quarterback from the entire class was available. With the 36th pick, the Eagles landed Kevin Kolb.
Of course, if the Raiders had waited until round two, they likely would have taken John Beck, the 40th pick who washed out of Miami after only two seasons.
Other quarterbacks picked that year were Drew Stanton, Trent Edwards, Jeff Rowe, Troy Smith, Jordan Palmer, and Tyler Thigpen. (The good news is that they will spark no run on bronze.)
If the Raiders had opted not to take a quarterback with the first overall selection, they could have gone in several other directions, taking (for instance) receiver Calvin Johnson, left tackle Joe Thomas, running back Adrian Peterson, and linebacker Patrick Willis.
In hindsight, the smartest play would have been to take Thomas.