Raiders: Lane Kiffin Begged Al Davis Not to Draft JaMarcus Russell
If Lane Kiffin had his way, Calvin Johnson would be an Oakland Raider
Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders always seemed to be an enigma in the NFL. Davis hardly changed his mind, and often made decisions many questioned, only to be fired.
In a recent Sports Illustrated interview, former Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin said he begged the Raiders owner not to draft LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Davis reportedly watched one game of Russell’s which was the the blowout against Notre Dame.
Kiffin, who was recently hired as the head coach at Florida Atlantic after three years in Alabama, said he wanted wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Despite recently retiring, Johnson cemented a Hall of Fame career with the Lions, and would have changed the fate of the Raiders organization for years.
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In the story released by SI, Kiffin said he had an agreement with free agent quarterback Jeff Garcia to join Oakland. Having Garcia and the number one pick Johnson would be a home run combination for the the last-place Raiders.
Instead, Kiffin was fired after a 1-3 start to his second season with Oakland and Russell went on to be one of the biggest NFL Draft busts of all-time.
Russell played just three years in the NFL, throwing 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in 31 games for Oakland.
After Calvin Johnson went with the second pick to Detroit, future Hall of Famers such as Adrian Peterson, Joe Thomas, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch, Darrelle Revis, and Steve Smith would be selected.