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QB JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders

HT: 6-6, WT: 255, Born: 8-9-1985, College: LSU, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 1

2008 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 28th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: R Torain (152), J Garcia (153), JaMarcus Russell (154), D Ward (155),
Position: M Leinart (135-QB21), J Garcia (153-QB22), JaMarcus Russell (154 - QB23), T Edwards (169-QB24), A Smith (182-QB25)
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 Click here to go to the JaMarcus Russell spotlight, our staff's most detailed analysis.

 Click here to go to the JaMarcus Russell faceoff, our staff's look at the pros and cons.

Best Case

Russell brings a big arm and a big body to the QB spot in Oakland, and the Raiders have made an effort to import some new talent to enhance the overall offense. A healthy Javon Walker would give Russell a bona fide #1 receiver. Ronald Curry has always shown good hands and newly acquired Drew Carter and Johnnie Lee Higgins round out what should be a blazing fast receiving corps. With Darren McFadden taking some screens and dump offs out of the backfield and Zach Miller blossoming at tight end, Russell will have a lot of options should he be able to read defenses and have time to get rid of the football.

Worst Case

The Raiders have a lot of new faces and have not gotten great offensive line play. With Russell young and inexperienced, that could be a recipe for disaster. If Russell is running for his life, constantly under duress, and trying to force the ball into double coverage, it could make for a long season. The Raiders have struggled the past few years in moving the ball and getting points on the board, so it's not all that difficult to imagine ways for things to go awry for Russell.

Outlook

Russell has better tools and a finer pedigree than his recent predecessors (Josn McCown, a banged up Daunte Culpepper, Andrew Walter, Aaron Brooks, and Marques Tuiasosopo to name a few). The Raiders scored 115 more points last year than in 2006 and the offense improved by almost 800 total yards. The Raiders offense should improve again thanks to the additions of Darren McFadden and Javon Walker. Given that Russell has started all of one game in the NFL, it's tough to expect miracles, but he should make some strides and does have tools to work with. There are also a lot of new faces, so expect the team to show growing pains early. The offensive line still leaves a lot to be desired and no OL help was drafted and only a few run of the mill bodies were added as free agents. Still, if Russell can avoid what should still be a decent pass rush and avoid making questionable decisions, he should be in line for some decent (but not phenomenal) passing totals.

Relevant Articles

2008 Schedule

2007 Game Summaries

Week 13 - Russell began his NFL career by playing two series in the second quarter. He showed off his strong arm on his first play. Russell ran a bootleg on the play and threw a strike to Jerry Porter for a 16 yard gain. Russell threw the ball a bit wide, but Porter did a great job to get his toes down in bounds. Russell led the Raider offense into Denver territory on both drives. The first drive stalled after he fumbled a shotgun snap on a third down play. Russell recovered, for an eight yard loss, but Sebastian Janikowski missed a 58 yard field goal attempt. Russell's second drive stalled, when Justin Fargas was stuffed on a fourth and one play.

Russell made a good first impression and may have received more playing time if Josh McCown wasn't having such a good game.

Week 15 - Russell started the first three series in the third quarter, but only completed two of five passes for ten yards. He did not look especially sharp in his limited role.

Week 16 - Russell played the majority of the game, though he did not start. He showed good composure at times, but also made many poor decisions under pressure. He also displayed good scrambling ability, but poor accuracy when throwing on the run. With ten seconds remaining in the game, he finally scored the Raiders first touchdown of the day, a short pass to his tight end, and then followed it up with a successful throw for the two-point conversion.

Week 17 - Russell's first NFL start couldn't have started off worse, as his first pass of the game was intercepted by DE Igor Olshansky. It didn't get much better during the first quarter when he nearly threw another interception to CB Antonio Cromartie, but he couldn't hang onto the ball. As the game went on, Russell grew more and more comfortable. Perhaps he got a bit too comfortable, because he coughed up the football in the shadow of his own end zone after being hit by Jyles Tucker. Tucker then pounced on the football for the touchdown, a play that completely changed the momentum in the game. Once the Chargers started pulling their starters, Russell was afforded a lot more time and space with which to work, and to his credit he knew what to do with it. He sat back and took what the defense was giving to him. He looked a lot more calm and collected, and eventually finished with very respectable passing numbers especially considering it was his first career start. He made a fantastic read on the touchdown pass to WR Jerry Porter, a 32 yard strike that was an absolute bullet over the middle, which was of course Russell's best highlight. At times, he seemed a little bit too willing to settle for the short underneath stuff, but it's tough to blame him because that's really all the Chargers were giving him.