Raiders Great Reflects on Al Davis, Jamarcus Russell
Drafting a franchise player with the first overall pick assumes a lot of pressure to get it right.
Before the 2007 NFL draft, Matt Millen, who once was the Detroit Lions general manager, interviewed LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
A plethora of red flags waved in one of the shortest interviews ever conducted by Millen.
"I don't know what he was thinking; the message he was conveying is I don't want to be here. So he was in my office, and I was going to talk to him about a couple of things, and he kept on looking down at his watch. After about the third time, he looked at his watch. I said, 'Look, you obviously have someplace to be, so I'm gonna let you go,'" Millen said to Russell.
Millen, Raiders legend and former Lions CEO, is a longtime friend of Sports Illustrated Raider Maven Editor and Publisher Hondo Carpenter. Millen recently joined Carpenter on the Radio, as he was co-hosting with Clay Baker on the "Pritch & Clay" morning show on Raider Nation Radio (LINK TO LISTEN LIVE).
Russell's first impression on the Lions front office would be a no-brainer to have him removed from all draft lists.
"If his plan was to say I'm not interested, he did a great job," Millen said.
Millen would call Al Davis and warn him about drafting Russell with the first overall pick.
"I don't know what you're thinking about doing. Do not draft this guy. Do not draft him. I think he thought that I was trying to convince him that I was going to take him. I'm telling you, I was being as honest as I could be," Millen said.
The Raiders would ultimately select Russell, a decision that would haunt the franchise for years to come.
Al Davis chose to draft Russell in disagreement with then-head coach Lane Kiffin, who wanted to draft Calvin Johnson.
Russell's career in Oakland would start on a wrong note, starting with him holding out his rookie year. He would later report to camp after landing the wealthiest contract by any rookie.
Year after year, issues arose, including Russell being get fined for reporting to camp overweight.
In May 2010, the Raiders would release their former No. 1 pick, ending Russell's career in Oakland.
He would play a total of 31 games, winning seven games, tallying a total of 4,083 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions in three seasons.
Russell is considered the worst draft pick in Raiders history and one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history.
Millen warned the Raiders not to draft this player, but people make mistakes; those mistakes would cost the franchise an opportunity to rise again.
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