By Paul Wexler
RaiderBeat.com Staff Writer

The Raiders are rumored to be interested in selecting Maryland left offensive tackle Bruce Campbell with the eight pick in the 2010 NFL Draft on Thursday.

Campbell is the NFL Scouting Combine workout warrior that is the fastest left tackle ever timed in the 40-yard dash. The problem is, Campbell played like a third- or fourth-round pick during his college career. Teams are using his potential to justify taking him higher in the draft than his production warrants.

The problem with potential is that it assumes risk. You begin with the premise that the player is not currently worth a first-round pick, but with proper training and determination can one day turn into a gem. That concept works well in the late rounds when little is at stake and the payoff can be great.

That philosophy isn’t so sound when you use a first-round pick on a risky player because you expect to get an immediate starter with Pro-Bowl potential. If you whiff on a player in the first round, it potentially can set back your franchise for years. No team should know this better than the Raiders.

The Raiders should covet a player’s past production over his untapped potential in this year’s draft. To use a tired baseball analogy, the Raiders should try to hit singles with each draft pick instead of trying to hit a home run.

Stop taking players other teams ignore, players rebounding from serous injuries or from small schools that no one has heard of. Draft players that have faced big-time competition and emerged on top.

Fill positions of need and move forward. The Raiders need to upgrade both the defensive and offensive tackle positions. They need a strong draft, top to bottom, if they are going to make their way back into the playoff race in the AFC West.