"The Raiders have never let draft pundits or popular opinion dictate their selections.

Go ahead and mock their scouting process. Or just look at who ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and assume that player will be a Raider. (The Raiders have drafted the last three players with the top 40-yard time at the combine.)

What the Raiders look for are elite athletes who fit the mold of players the team has liked for decades. That didn't change this weekend.

Every team takes a chance in the draft and hopes for the best. And if the Raiders are going to swing and miss, they'd rather do it with someone who at least looks the part of a star without shoulder pads on.

If that means drafting players whose build and speed are more impressive than their statistics, the Raiders do so with no apologies. That also means looking beyond numbers.

At the conclusion of the 2011 NFL draft, the Raiders had found the player they hope can anchor the offensive line, Penn State center Stefen Wisniewski. He is easily the most accomplished of their draft picks.

Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones might be faster than starter Darren McFadden.

It's also hard to argue with drafting a starter from Ohio State's secondary (cornerback Chimdi Chekwa in the fourth round) or using a late-round pick on a player who could make an impact after time on the practice squad (seventh-round wide receiver David Ausberry of USC).

Joseph Barksdale started at offensive tackle at LSU, playing against elite pass rushers in the Southeastern Conference.

But for this draft to be successful, the Raiders must turn some questionable picks into contributors. They were able to do that last year with Jacoby Ford, who showed his track speed was good for more than posting fast 40-yard dash times.

DeMarcus Van Dyke is the player the Raiders need to excel. The Miami cornerback started more games as a true freshman (eight) and junior (eight) than as a sophomore (two) or senior (three)."