Randy Moss Vince Young Matt Leinart

Randy Moss told a reporter, "Ain't nothing but ten grand. What's ten grand to me?"Sitting back in April, you almost wonder if Al Davis is thinking to himself, "Ain't nothing but a first-rounder. What's a first-rounder to me?"' owner Al Davis was the proud owner of a 27th-ranked defense last year that gave up 330.8 yards per game and over five yards per play. To revamp the defense, he went out and brought in a couple worthy veterans-namely Tyrone Poole, Duane Starks, and Lance Johnstone. However, Oakland still has gaping holes at the safety and linebacker spot, with major depth issues on the offensive and defensive lines.So what else did he do? Go out and get a quarterback from New Orleans named Aaron Brooks. Still, that wasn't a terrible acquisition at any rate. Now, there would be an intense three-way quarterback competition between Brooks, Andrew Walter, and Marques Tuiasasopo in training camp. More importantly, though, there would no longer be a need to use their high first-round draft pick on a quarterback.Now, in the midst of an offseason that has behind closed doors, there are whispers around the league that Oakland is talking with the New York Jets in an attempt to catapult their way three spots higher in the 2006 draft and grab a top quarterback.The move would shift Oakland ahead of the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, sitting them behind Houston, New Orleans, and Tennessee. Houston appears decided on Reggie Bush; New Orleans looks to take D'Brickashaw Ferguson or Mario Williams, and Tennessee seemingly favors Texas' Vince Young, but Matt Leinart is also a very strong possibility.That would leave Oakland free to take either Matt Leinart or Vince Young at four-whichever the Titans pass on. But that would also leave either D'Brickashaw Ferguson or Mario Williams available, along with Ohio State's A.J. Hawk.However, if the do trade up it won't be because Al Davis is eyeing Ferguson, Williams, or Hawk. It will be to ensure that he has a rookie quarterback on his 2006 roster, much like he had with Andrew Walter last season. However, Walter hasn't appeared to enliven Davis as much as was hoped for. Because, if he did, getting a fourth quarterback wouldn't even be an option in the team's future plans.Yet, altogether, moving up doesn't seem to be the best alternative for the team. In fact, moving down would be of greater assistance. Swapping first-rounders with interested suitors holding mid-to-late round picks could allow Oakland to acquire another second-rounder. Then, the team would have no logical choice but to draft around their needs: linebacker, safety, and offensive line.Depending on who is most interested in exchanging picks with the Raiders, there should be a surplus of linebackers left for Oakland to choose from. Ernie Sims, Chad Greenway, Bobby Carpenter, and DeMeco Ryans would all start immediately on the Raiders' defense. Adding one of the above would round-off a linebacking crew that is currently only two-thirds full with Danny Clark and Kirk Morrison.With their early second-rounder Oakland would be then able to choose from a list of quality safeties. Among those possibly available at the 38th overall spot are Jason Allen, Darnell Bing, Daniel Bullocks, and Ko Simpson. Again, either of these four would be able to takeover Derrick Gibson's safety spot and start the 2006 campaign alongside Stuart Schweigert.This trade would then leave one more second-rounder to be spent-a chance to fill a spot on their third-biggest need, offensive line. Tackles to choose from could include Marcus McNeill, Daryn Colledge, Andrew Whitworth, or Jeremy Trueblood. At guard, Taitusi Lutui, Max Jean-Gilles, or Charles Spencer could all be viable options.In all, there are plenty of teams looking to trade up in this year's draft-a draft that is entirely unpredictable in every aspect. However, an Al Davis decision to fork over an extra incentive to take a fourth quarterback on an incomplete roster seems a bit off-beam.Plus, seats to the NFL Draft are free, so Davis doesn't need to worry about selling those out. However, if he wants to push stadium seats off the shelf, drafting around his needs and less around his wants could equate to more wins.Last time I checked