Kaepernick was drafted two years ago with the fourth pick of the second round (36th overall) when the 49ers traded up with the Denver Broncos. If the Raiders also wanted to draft Kaepernick (and it seems like they did), they would have needed to trade ahead of the 49ers to draft him.
Hindsight is 20-20 and you can play the what-if game all day, but not moving up to get Kaepernick might have been the most franchise-altering moment since the Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell. The Raiders' failure to move up and draft Kaepernick likely set the franchise back five years.
The 49ers and the Raiders were reportedly in talks with the New England Patriots about the 33rd overall pick, but the 49ers thought the price was too high according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated. The Raiders must also have thought the price was too high, and the rest is history.
The Patriots reportedly wanted a second-round pick in 2012 to go along with the third-round pick in 2011 from the 49ers who originally drafted three spots ahead of the Raiders that second round. If the Raiders had been willing to give up the same for that pick, there is a lot that would be different about the team today.
What’s strange is that the Raiders would eventually trade the second-round pick to the Patriots for a third and fourth-round pick that they used to draft Joseph Barksdale and Taiwan Jones. A quarterback is obviously more valuable than a right tackle and speed running back, which just makes you wonder what Al Davis was thinking at the time.
Personnel Differences
Barksdale is no longer on the team, and an undrafted free agent received more carries than...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
