Raiders’ No. 1 Range Is Heisman to NAIA : Pro football: Colorado’s Salaam could fall into No. 18 slot, but Davis might have a surprise waiting.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight. Heading into the weekend draft, the Raiders don’t believe they have to take anybody. If the season were to start tomorrow, the Raiders are quite comfortable with the personnel they have, thank you. It’s not like a year ago, when they had a desperate need for linebackers and running backs.

So that opens up all sorts of options for the Raiders’ first-round pick, the 18th selection overall.

Three names have surfaced as the most likely possibilities--Rashaan Salaam, the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback from Colorado; Blake Brockermeyer, an offensive tackle from Texas, and Hugh Douglas, a defensive end from Central State in Ohio.

The first question is, why would Salaam, a 6-foot, 228-pounder who rushed for 2,055 yards, averaged 6.9 yards per carry and scored 24 touchdowns last season, still be there at No. 18?

Skeptics question his 4.6-second clocking in the 40-yard dash, one- to two-tenths slower than fellow draftees Ki-Jana Carter of Penn State and Tyrone Wheatley of Michigan. There are also questions about Salaam’s ability to avoid tacklers in the NFL and about how his numbers reflect his ability less than how they reflect the overpowering strength of his offensive line at Colorado.

The Raiders have had great luck in the past selecting Heisman winners, getting brilliant contributions from Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson and Tim Brown.

The area the Raiders need the most help in is the offensive line. Last season, it failed to adequately protect quarterback Jeff Hostetler and committed one drive-killing penalty after another. Of specific concern is right tackle, where Greg Skrepenak struggled.

Brockermeyer, a 6-4, 305-pounder who is leaving college before his senior year, did not allow a sack in his final 16 games, a statistic that would certainly make him Hostetler’s choice.

But the player Raider owner Al Davis really likes is Douglas, who has speed and power. He had 42 sacks in 32 games, for Central State, although that came at the NAIA level.

The Raiders plan on using veteran linebacker Pat Swilling, obtained earlier this month, as a down lineman. But with the disappointing (and disappearing) performance of lineman Scott Davis a year ago, the Raiders could use still more depth on the defensive line.

And some scouts also see Douglas, 6-1 and 265 pounds, as an outside linebacker. He could fit in there if second-year players Rob Holmberg and James Folston fail to effectively fill the hole left by the departed Winston Moss.

The Raiders also like Northwestern guard Matt O’Dwyer, Florida State defensive lineman Derrick Alexander, North Carolina cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock, Notre Dame cornerback Bobby Taylor and Washington tight end Mark Bruener.

There was speculation that the Raiders might try to move up in the draft. They had talks with the Cleveland Browns (who draft 10th), according to one source. But since the Raiders are not willing to give up much, a move is considered unlikely.

At this point, it looks like Douglas, Salaam and Brockermeyer.

In that order of preference.

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Raider Notes

The Raiders have a pick in each of the seven rounds, plus an additional selection in Round 5. That’s the pick they got from the Green Bay Packers last season in exchange for receiver Charles Jordan.

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USC tackle Tony Boselli could be second pick, but the stock of J.J. Stokes and Rob Johnson may have dropped. C8