5 players the Raiders should have drafted at No. 4 in the 2008 NFL Draft

Like every team, the Raiders have had their fair share of draft misses over the past two decades. In 2004, they selected Robert Gallery over Larry Fitzgerald, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. In 2007, they picked JaMarcus Russell over several …

3. RB Chris Johnson

The 2008 draft class will be remembered as one of the best running back classes in the history of the NFL. Six different running backs made the Pro Bowl from this draft, combining for 14 Pro Bowl appearances. Of those six running backs, no one was better at their peak than Chris Johnson, who was selected with the No. 24 pick in the draft.

Johnson’s 2009 season was one of the best ever in NFL history as he totaled 2,509 yards and 16 touchdowns on just 408 touches. He averaged a whopping 5.6 yards per carry, rushing for 2,006 yards and 14 touchdowns. Johnson would start his career off with six-straight seasons with at least 1,400 total yards as he was the most dynamic running back in the NFL.

With the Raiders’ love for speed, Johnson would have been fantastic in Greg Knapp’s offense. Instead, they picked McFadden, who never could quite find the same level of success as Johnson.

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