Former 49ers and Raiders receiver Jerry Rice wants to set the record straight: Remember that super-slow 40 time he posted almost a quarter-century ago, just before the 49ers drafted him out of Mississippi Valley State?
He was much faster than the 4.6 seconds cited in long-ago reports and his current Wikipedia bio.
"No way. It was like 4.5," Rice said.
The 49ers were willing to trade up and draft the future Hall of Famer in 1985, but not the Raiders. They stayed put and picked the much-faster receiver Jessie Hester seven spots later at No. 23.
Fast forward to the burning question of this weekend's draft: Will Al Davis pass on another star receiver - namely, Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree - for lack of a blazing 40 time?
"That's one thing, Al likes speed," Rice said. "But I think this guy is the real deal. I've seen a lot of film. ... I think he's the best receiver on the board."
Crabtree clearly isn't the fastest runner in the draft, but then, neither was Rice. Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin is the one with track speed at 4.43. Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey has even better world-class speed at 4.25.
As for Crabtree, he was considered a 4.5 runner - and that was before he had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot.
Crabtree played through the injury last season and caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns, but he wasn't able to run at the NFL combine.
Many mock drafters think that last point will be a sticking one with Davis, who virtually always drafts the fastest receivers. In 2004, he had Roy Williams (4.42) ahead of Larry Fitzgerald (4.53) on his board.
Raiders coach Tom Cable agrees that speed is big, but scoring is bigger - and no one in college history can match Crabtree's 41 touchdown catches in two seasons.
After all, Rice used his average college speed to set the NFL record with 197 touchdown catches. With 37 touchdown catches as a team since 2006, the Raiders certainly can use some end-zone help.
"(Crabtree's) on film, he's all over the place," Cable said. "Just looking at your normal evaluation of tape, of what he's done throughout his career, there's plenty to see. You know who that guy is.
"At the end of the day, it's about touchdowns and production, and if you look at that, there's probably nobody better."
NOT MANY AT NO. 1: Since the 1985 draft, the Raiders have picked one wide receiver in the first round: Tim Brown with the sixth pick of 1988. ... Mike Siani (21st in 1971) and Eldridge Dickey (25th in 1968) are their only other receivers picked in the first round.
RAIDERS / History points to speed over TDs
