Over the past few days, we’ve looked back at a few drafts from the 2000s to see who the Raiders should have selected with their first-round pick. In most cases, they passed on some generational talent that could have changed the direction of the franchise in a positive way.

Today, we are looking at the 2009 draft class, where the Raiders selected wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey with the No. 7 pick. While Heyward-Bey never developed into a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, he did have a long career as a reserve receiver and a star special teamer.

Luckily for the Raiders, the 2009 draft wasn’t one of the better classes in recent memory. It wasn’t like the 2007 class when they passed on Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas and Adrian Peterson for Jamarcus Russell.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the four players the Raiders should have drafted with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft class.

1. LB Clay Matthews

In 2008, USC had arguably the best linebacking corps in college football history. With Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Kaluka Maiava, no team could match up with their size, speed and athleticism.

However, the best linebacker in the NFL from that team was Clay Matthews, who was just a part-time player at USC. But Matthews quickly came onto the NFL radar after posting insane numbers at the NFL Combine.

Matthews would turn into a pass-rushing demon in the NFL, totaling 91.5 sacks so far in his career. While the fit may have been somewhat clunky early on his career with the Raiders running a 4-3 defense, Matthews was an exceptional talent as he played both on the edge and off-the-ball in his NFL career. You can make a strong case that Matthews would be a top-three selection in this class in a re-draft.

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