Oakland Raiders - The Vertical Game - 1996 Raiders Draft Picks

1996 Raiders Draft Picks

Of the Oakland Raiders' top pick, Rickey Dudley, ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski says, "This is a solid pick by the Raiders. This is a 'speed' team, and Dudley is the kind of tight end that can make defenses respect the hash area, opening things up for their wide receivers."

Scouts love Dudley, who is big, quick and strong with room for growth at his position. He clocked in at a campus workout at 4.48 the same time as teammate Terry Glenn, who is considered one of the fastest wide receivers in the draft. Dudley played just two seasons while concentrating on basketball. He caught 32 passes for 469 yards and six touchdowns. Dudley is not known as a great blocker, but his speed more than makes up for that deficiency.

Notes: All-State (Texas) football and basketball player in high school. Attended Fork Union Military prep school and then just concentrated on basketball at Ohio State until 1994. In '94, started four games and Ohio State's bowl game against Alabama and caught nine passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Then he rejoined the basketball team and had his best season, averaging 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. In '95, he was a consensus All-Big Ten pick at tight end after catching 32-469-6.

Positives: Very tall. Long arms. Nice target. Very athletic for his size. Can really run. A downfield target who can stretch the defense. Improving receiver who can make the difficult catch. Will catch over the middle. Can turn and take off after the catch. Very aggressive runner who fights for yardage. Improving blocker who can keep his feet under him when blocking. Has the frame to get bigger. Tremendous upside potential.

Negatives: Lacks experience, exposure and consistency. Will never be a great in-line blocker because of the way he is built with a high center of gravity and narrow lower unit. Must learn how to run pass routes more precisely. Hands are much better than concentration. Is not a reliable receiver. Will make the tough catch, then drop the easy one. Must learn to protect the ball. Will often fumble when fighting for yardage because he does not tuck the ball away. Has had a couple of off-the-field problems.

Summary: This athlete has tremendous upside potential and could develop into a dynamic pro if he continues to improve and works on his shortcomings, but he is far from a sure thing.

Johnstone played inside linebacker the past two seasons, but has also been on the outside. He collected 153 tackles, three sacks and 10 pass breakups last year. Johnstone has good speed and is explosive. He will have to add weight to become a more physical pass rusher in the NFL. Johnstone's instincts are not that good and he sometimes waits for the play to come to him rather than attacking.

Notes: Redshirted in 1991. Was a pass-rush outside linebacker in '92, and, although he did not start, he had 74 tackles, nine sacks and seven other tackles for loss. Started three games at defensive end and eight at OLB in '93, when he had a team-high 88 tackles. Also had two sacks and an interception. Was used more as an inside linebacker the past two years. Had 114 tackles, an interception and three fumble recoveries in '94. All-Big East and team's Most Valuable Player in '95, when he had 153 tackles, three sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 10 passes broken up.

Positives: Great size-speed ratio. Flashes a real burst of speed and explosiveness. Long arms. Great jumping ability. Flashes ability as a pass rusher and at times will even flash as a pass defender. Plays hard and tries. Is big enough to play down in a three-point stance on passing downs and should be able to add 15 more pounds if a team wants to make him a down defensive end.

Negatives: Classroom-smart, but he is a very late reactor on the football field. Cannot key and diagnose quickly. Always seems to be waiting for the play to come to him before he reacts. Stands, watches and then reacts. Seldom attacks in the hole. High-cut and thin in the lower body. Does not always break down well and will overrun plays and miss tackles. May lack the instincts for linebacker and the size to be an every-down defensive end.

Summary: Rare size-speed ratio and tremendous athletic ability but is very uninstinctive as a linebacker and may be better off as an outside pass rusher.

And, finally, here's what the Raiders themselves said in the team press release:

"With the 57th Pick of the NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Lance Johnstone, a defensive end from Temple University."

"Gifted Athlete with an impressive blend of size, power and quickness...very intense rapup [sic] tackler who shows excellent range and agility...closes incredibly well in pursuit and has the acceleration to penetrate through the gaps to disrupt the plays...shows fine zone awareness and takes good angles to the ball."

Notes: Parade All-American in high school, where he also stood out as a weight man and wrestler. Played extensively as a true freshman in 1992 and started the last three games. Ended the season with 46 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. Second-team All-Western Athletic Conference pick in '93, when he started all 12 games and had 31 tackles and six sacks. All-WAC in '94, when he had 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Missed two full games and parts of others with an ankle sprain in '95 and ended the season with 36 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 4½ sacks.

Positives: Above-average athlete. Good initial quickness. Strong for his size. Has explosiveness off the ball. Can penetrate. Plays much faster than he times. Uses hands. Flashes ability. Looked a lot like the Rams' D'Marco Farr in the East-West Shrine game.

Negatives: Height limits him. Will go at less than 100 mph on some plays. Lazy in pursuit at times. Does not always fight the pressure. Must beat blocker with his first move, or he will really struggle to get free. Gets engulfed and outsized at times. Did not have a good combine.

Summary: Needs to go that extra mile to overcome his lack of size and height. Can play on the next level, if he plays like he played in the Shrine game. But he will really struggle if he reverts back to the way he often played at San Diego State.

Muscular fullback who is quick through the holes . . .Small by NFL standards . . . Lowers body well and drags defenders. . .Catches smoothly and excels at the swing pass. . .Excellent lateral moves and straight-ahead quickness. . . Holds school record with 2,908 career yards rushing and 793 receiving. . . All-ECAC first team choice, 1995. . .Third in Div. I-AA in rushing, averaging 157.2 yards per game. . .Tied for first in I-AA scoring with 12.0 points per game.

Notes: Redshirted in 1991. Started six games in '92, when he had 50 tackles and two sacks. Started first three games in '93 before tearing left anterior cruciate ligament in Game Three. Had surgery. Came back in fall '94, when he started every game and had 72 tackles, eight tackles for loss and eight sacks. Had 66 stops, 10 sacks and six tackles for negative yardage versus running plays in '95.

Positives: Good competitor. Fine motor. Very athletic for a defensive end. Has exceptional initial quickness. Gets separation. Can beat the offensive tackle clean to the outside at times. Chases and hustles all over the field.

Negatives: Lacks size and size potential. Short and does not have a large frame. Is quick and runs well but may not have the rare overall quickness and second gear he may need to compensate for lack of size. Does not look like a LB-type athlete and has not played the position in college.

Summary: Undersized defensive end who could be a situational rusher and part-time player in the right situation.

Notes: Texas A&M transfer. Started the last six games of the 1993 season at Sam Houston after regaining his eligibility following his transfer from Texas A&M. Missed over half the '94 season with an ankle injury but came back to start every game in '95.

Positives: Good athlete. Quick and fast. Runs very well for a center. Shows some balance and body control. Played a lot better in '95 than in '94.

Negatives: Undersized. Finesse-type player with average explosion and power. Does not do a really good job of finishing or sustaining his blocks. Does not appear to have a lot of bulldog in him.

Summary: Undersized, athletic player who must play with more tenacity and ferocity if he is to have a chance.

Notes: All-State weight man in high school. Played in every game and lettered in 1992. Moved into the starting lineup in '93. Started in '94, except for the two games he missed with sprained knee. Division I-AA All-American in '95. Has played tackle in college but will probably project to guard in the NFL.

Positives: Very tough and aggressive. Good strength and leg drive. Shows some initial punch and hand use. Improved every year in college and made his senior season far and away his best.

Negatives: Does not have the height or athletic ability to play tackle on the next level. Lacks great foot agility and change of direction. Will struggle to redirect at times. Has not faced many big-time pass rushers.

Summary: Is not going to be an NFL tackle but might have a chance as a guard if he continues to improve.