Raiders Russell NFL's Biggest Draft Bust
The Las Vegas-Oakland-Los Angeles have selected some outstanding players in the first round of the National Football League Draft in their 64-year history and can make it one more with the 13th overall selection in the draft next month.
Among the players chosen by the Silver and Black in round one were running back Marcus Allen, guard Gene Upshaw, wide receiver Tim Brown, punter Ray Guy, defensive back Charles Woodson, placekicker Sebastian Janikowski, tight end Raymond Chester, safety Jack Tatum, tackle Henry Lawrence, center Don Mosebar, defensive back Terry McDaniel, defensive tackle Chester McGlockton, running back Napoleon Kauffman, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, linebacker Khalil Mack, tackle Kolton Miller and running back Josh Jacobs.
The Raiders also have high hopes for defensive end Tyree Wilson, who was selected with the seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft last season and played well despite being slowed by an injury.
However, the Silver and Black are also known for selecting quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the biggest bust in NFL Draft history.
The Las Vegas Raiders have two of the worst first-round selections in the history of the NFL Draft.
© Phil Carter | 2007 Sep 12
The Raiders selected the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft out of LSU and expected him to be a franchise quarterback who would lead them to great results in the coming years.
Managing Partner Al Davis went with Russell, although former Raiders great Matt Millen warned him not to do so after an unimpressive interview with Russell.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking about doing, but do not draft this guy,” Millen told Davis after meeting with Russell. “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.
“I don’t think he is the guy who people believe he is.”
Davis did not listen to Millen.
Russell’s career in Oakland started on a sour note, as he held out for a bigger contract in his rookie year. However, he eventually reported to training camp at the El Rancho Motel in Santa Rosa, Calif., with the most lucrative contract signed by a rookie in NFL history to that point in time.
However, Russell played only three seasons with the Raiders and in the NFL, passing for 4,083 yards and 18 touchdowns with 23 interceptions while recording a 7-18 record as a starter before the Raiders released him.
Russell would not play in the NFL again.
“Russell simply didn’t care,” one former Raiders executive said. “He made his money and had no desire to get any better or make the Raiders any better. It is one of the tragic stories in NFL history. He didn’t work hard on or off the field, didn’t study game plans and thought he could get by on his talent alone.”
After leaving the NFL and making several aborted comebacks, Russell became the quarterbacks coach at Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama.
In 2022, Russell wrote an essay about his misunderstood football journey.
“In the years after I was released, I kind of lost myself for a minute,” wrote Russell, who said he was affected by the deaths of several close family members. “I ended up coming back home and started coaching up the kids at the same parks I used to play at back in the day. And that’s what made me find my love for the game again.
“Keep me in your prayers and I’ll keep you in mine. I don’t want for nothing, I haven’t for a long time and it’s going to stay that way. I might have played only three years, but those three years are going to cover a lifetime and more. My pivot after football was to become a human being again. You have to recalibrate that. I’m still working on becoming a better person day-by-day.
“I’m doing well and I’m living life.”
Russell could have been another great No. 1 for the Raiders, but it didn’t happen.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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