As one player after the next comes up limp or missing at the NFL Combine, that's one more top prospect who could be sliding his way to the Raiders at the No. 7 slot of the NFL draft.
The Raiders clearly need to pick either a left tackle or wide receiver in the first round -- at least they will if they're serious about building this team around quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Suddenly, they could be looking at two players with top-five potential.
Start with Alabama left tackle Andre Smith, easily one of the best tackles in the draft. His stock is dropping after he showed up overweight and out of shape at the Combine, refused to work out, then went AWOL without telling anyone.
Sound like a problem child? Al Davis has never minded players with baggage and mood swings. As for being in shape, Russell was overweight at his Combine. Davis likened him to Ken Stabler, who wasn't exactly a workout freak.
At wide receiver, Texas Tech star Michael Crabtree needs surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot -- which (maybe, maybe, maybe) could be enough to drop him from a top-two pick to the Raiders' lap. High-rated wide receiver Jeremy Maclin of Missouri could also be there for the taking after hyperextending his knee at the Combine.
Remember, Davis isn't scared off by question marks. If an enormous talent is there, he'll almost always take it over the safer bet.
Russell's weight, work ethic and NFL readiness were questioned by experts. Last year, Darren McFadden was dogged by questions about multiple paternity suits and off-the-field fights. The last two teams Davis took a "sure thing" with a top-10 pick, he picked safety Michael Huff and left tackle Robert Gallery.
With that said, Davis will be hard-pressed to pass on Smith or Crabtree if they are there for the drafting.
SFGate: Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Combine pain is Raiders' gain
