Oakland Raiders: Possible Under the Radar Rookie Heroes

This is the second part of my preview of the Oakland Raiders’ undrafted free agent signings. For part one, you can go here!

Noel Grigsby (WR-San Jose State):

I am less sanguine about Grigsby’s prospects than Carlos Fields’ – let’s face it, it would verge on parody to be more optimistic than I am on the ex-Ram.  That said, Grigsby is probably my runner-up for undrafted gem.  Grigsby is not small; he is elfin.  Generously listed at 5’10’’, 185 lbs., he almost disappears in the shadow cast by an offensive lineman.  What he lacks in heft he makes up for with fluidity and gorgeous, precise route-running.

He put on a clinic against defensive behemoth Stanford in their 2012 matchup.  You can view the full tape – plus his work vs. BYU – in Bleacher Report’s UDFA analysis from Elias Trejo.  Watching Grigsby catch balls over, beside, and around Cardinal defenders all game long is a treat.

If you lack the time or the patience for the full six-minute film, I recommend two highlights: 1) to see Grigbsy befuddle a defensive back and snag a ball with his contortionist routine, skip to 1:06 in the film; 2) for an exhibition of his superb route-running, fast forward to 2:06, wherein he runs a textbook flag route, completely bamboozling the safety on the post fake, and leaving David Fales with a Palo-Alto sized window to throw into.

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Another fun tidbit from the Stanford game: it marked his thirty-sixth consecutive game with a reception, tops in the Spartans’ record book.  He added another notch in the books as the all-time leader in career receiving yards with 3,121.  (Nineteenth on that list is one James Jones).

In addition to size concerns, Grigsby lacks jaw-dropping straight-line speed.  He ran a relatively glacial 4.69 at his pro day in March.

On the other hand, former Oakland Raiders’ slot receiver/jitterbug Jacoby Ford posted a blistering 4.28 forty and look how well that turned out.  A more promising discrepancy between the two receivers is that Grigsby’s least favorite candy is almost certainly the Butterfinger; if his hands are any indication, he is instead partial to the sticky goodness of melted Gummy Bears.

One unfortunate trait that Grisgby shares with Ford is an injury history.  Grigsby missed all but two games during his senior season after it began on a promising note with a touchdown in each contest.

Grigsby has a very good chance of making the final roster, though he will face steep competition from Mike Davis and Seth Roberts (more on Roberts to come).  If he can bounce back from injury and overcome some of his physical limitations, Grigsby may be the starting-caliber slot receiver that the Oakland Raiders have sorely missed since Ford’s tantalizing 2010 season.

At worst, Grigsby flashes the talent to hang around on the Raiders depth chart for a few seasons while he polishes his game.

Dan Kistler (OT-Montana):

Hailing from Big Sky country nestled in the Rockies, Kistler is appropriately a mountain of a man.  He is listed at 6’7’’, 315 lbs, the approximate dimensions of a European coupe with the density of a stone slab.

Based on pre-draft workouts, he moves with all of the urgency of a traffic jam, plodding his way to a 5.80 forty on his pro day.  It is hardly shocking, then, that he has trouble countering speed rushers off the edge and working up to the second-level in run-blocking schemes. When he is able to anchor, however, he is well-nigh impossible to move.  Kistler exhibits excellent lower-body strength, though his tendency to play high limits his efficacy.

You should also take all of this with a shaker’s worth of salt, as game tape of Kistler – at least that I was able to locate – is sparse.  There is far more footage of him speaking to an interviewer than actually playing.  I will say this for him, though: he appears to be an affable, intelligent young man whom his teammates praise as a leader.  So there’s that.

The Oakland Raiders showed an affinity for bulk on the interior line this offseason, so it would not be a stretch to see Kistler join fellow megaliths Gabe Jackson and Austin Howard at guard should the former Grizzly make the final cut.

Without more film, it is difficult to say how likely that is.  Anyone who attended University of Montana football games or for some reason watched them on television, please speak up in the comment section below.

May 16, Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tackle Erle Ladson (68) stretches at rookie minicamp at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Erle Ladson (OT-Delaware)

Ladson is another big-bodied signing along the offensive line.  At 6’6’’, 346 lbs., he makes Kistler look svelte.  He scooted to a 5.37 forty at his pro day, which, I must say, is nothing to sneeze at given his size.

As with Kistler, there is not a great deal of tape that I could find on Ladson.  The only non-highlight-reel footage I happened upon entailed a few consecutive plays from the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which is seemingly the Cleveland Browns of the pre-draft All-Star games.  (Hey, as a long-suffering Raiders fan, there are only a few teams I can take potshots at.  And Tom Flores coached one of the teams in the inaugural game in 2012, so it can’t be too lowly).

In those few moments, Ladson sparkled.  He showed a great burst to pull from the left tackle position and absolutely jackhammer an opposing linebacker shooting the gap.  I would not be surprised if that unfortunate player was only just peeling himself off the turf by the time the draft began.  Ladson looked similarly dominant in pass protection.

As we saw above, once the film reel  is quickly exhausted, the only place left to turn is off-the-field “character.”  Based upon a one minute and twelve second promotional video entitled “Meet the Blue Hens Erle Ladson Teaser,” I can confidently say that Ladson is a first-rate citizen.  He is jovial and soft-spoken, which serves in lovely contrast to the mean streak he displays on the gridiron.

Also, his chosen major is History Education.  That certainly stands out among the glut of Communication and General Studies majors among the college football ranks.

Back to football.  Both Ladson and Kistler will, in all likelihood, have a difficult time making the final 53-man roster.  The Oakland Raiders invested heavily in their offensive line during the offseason, bringing in known-quantities such as Donald Penn, Kevin Boothe, and Howard.  The multi-millions in guaranteed money due to each of them makes it a certainty that none will be cut.

That leaves fringe players Lamar Mady, Michael McCants, and Lucas Nix.  Ladson and Kistler will have to tussle with those three for one or perhaps two, at the most, roster positions.  (McCants, in particular, shone during small stints as a sub on the injury-decimated line last season).

Ladson and Kistler face the additional hurdle of their unheralded almae matres.  Small school UDFA’s typically have difficulty making rosters for the same reasons that Presidents are not elected straight from city councils.

For my part, I hope that one or both can break through.  They seem to have the effervescent personalities sure to make them try-hard fan favorites if they can hack it during the preseason grind.