Getting Running Start Is No. 1 Goal : Raiders: If they can’t sign former Chief Williams, they probably will pick Johnson or Bates.

It doesn’t take a football genius, Al Davis or anybody else to figure out what the Raiders need heading into today’s draft if they hope to be in the running for next year’s Super Bowl.

Running is the key word.

First and foremost, the club, faced with an uncertain timetable for the return of injured Greg Robinson, must obtain a quality running back.

Toward that end, the Raiders are deep in negotiations with Harvey Williams, the former Kansas City Chief.

But if they can’t sign Williams before they make their first pick in today’s draft, the 22nd selection in the first round, the Raiders figure to go for a running back.

They would like to get San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk.

So would most of the clubs ahead of them. Faulk will be long gone by the time the Raiders pick unless they can trade all the way up to the top few spots, and they don’t plan on offering what it would take to do that.

So the Raiders’ first choice figures to be LeShon Johnson, the Northern Illinois back who rushed for an NCAA-leading 1,976 yards last season.

If Johnson isn’t there, the Raiders also like Arizona State running back Mario Bates and Florida’s Errict Rhett.

If the Raiders get Williams, or feel confident they are going to get him, they might instead use their first pick to address some of their other needs--linebacker, defensive line or tight end.

The Raiders are known to like Mississippi defensive lineman Tim Bowens, who weighs more than 300 pounds.

The first order of business for the Raiders, however, must be to get their rushing game on solid footing. They have needed a solid back since losing Marcus Allen a year ago.

Robinson, an eighth-round draft choice last year, gained 591 yards before his season ended when he suffered a knee injury in his 12th game. Robinson’s recovery has been slow, and it is unknown when he will be ready.

Nor is there any guarantee that Napoleon McCallum, Ty Montgomery or Nick Bell can effectively fill in. With that crew last season, the Raiders averaged only 89.1 yards on the ground, second lowest total in the AFC.

The defensive line was a strong point, but there are some holes and some questions because of the retirement of Howie Long, the rehabilitation of Chester McGlockton--who suffered a broken leg in the playoffs--and the demotion of veteran Greg Townsend to part-time player last year.

There’s another hole on defense, a hole at the linebacking spot that has suddenly grown larger with the statement made several days ago by starting middle linebacker Joe Kelly that he won’t be returning to the Raiders. Kelly, angry that the Raiders put him on waivers, says he will take less to play elsewhere, rather than re-signing with the Raiders at a lower salary.

The club also needs a tight end to replace Ethan Horton, who signed with the Washington Redskins.

From among the linebackers in this year’s crop, the Raiders favor UCLA’s Jamir Miller. But he probably won’t be there at No. 22.

They also like John Thierry of Alcorn State.

The Raiders aren’t expected to use a first-round pick on a tight end, but will probably select one in the later rounds. Lonnie Johnson of Florida State and Carlester Crumpler of East Carolina are considered the best.

Another possibility for a lower round is offensive lineman Marcus Spears of Northwestern State in Louisiana.

The Raiders will get eight picks in the first six rounds and none in the seventh and final round, that pick having been traded to the Dallas Cowboys in last season’s Elvis Patterson deal.

The Raiders will get only one selection in the first round. If they use it for a running back, it probably will be either Johnson or Bates. If they decide to go for a defensive player, it figures to be Bowens.

But with the Raiders, there are no guarantees. That’s what makes them the Raiders.