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The Oakland Raiders will trim their roster to 53 players today. Expect them to make at least two waiver claims Sunday to address needs at defensive back and on the offensive line. As such, there are a couple guys on this final roster who could be waived on Sunday and could subsequently find their way onto the team's practice squad. As is, I've included a list of players who are candidates for the practice squad. There is some positional imbalance on the 53-man roster as I expect the Raiders to balance it out with a few waiver claims. [table id=8 /]

[embed]http://gty.im/459756040[/embed] The Oakland Raiders season officially kicks off Friday night. Unfortunately, it's preseason. Fortunately, there are still plenty of things to watch. It seems like this every year, but this truly is one of the most interesting Raiders teams in years. For starters, there is a lot of young talent. Unlike past years, there is also plenty of veteran talent that isn't over 30. While all eyes will be on first-round pick Amari Cooper, there are at least a half-dozen other players Raiders fans should keep a close eye on during the game. D.J. Hayden He hasn't been able to stay healthy, nor has he been particularly awesome when he is healthy, but cornerback D.J. Hayden still has a lot of talent. General manager Reggie McKenzie will take his lumps if Hayden doesn't pan out this year, but more importantly the Raiders will also be dangerously thin at cornerback. The Raiders need Hayden to solid, even if he doesn't live up to the potential he...

Mike Mitchell's journey to the NFL has not exactly been the path of least resistance. The strong safety from Ohio University put up some impressive numbers in college including 212 total tackles, 7 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles. However, like many that come from a lower tier college, Mitchell was met with a lot of doubt because of the level of competition he played against. A player who never seems to be lacking confidence on the field, would need to quickly find an abundance of it in order to make one last effort to prove his value to scouts prior to the NFL Draft. Mike's impressive play on the field was not his only meal ticket though. He also had the measurables that most scouts would drool over. At 6' 1" 220 lbs Mitchell ran a 4.39 forty yard dash and put up 22 reps on the bench. With those kind of numbers he was sure to be noticed by scouts all over the place. The classic workout numbers that sends guys shooting up draft boards every February and making them...

Terrelle Pryor was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft. It was the late Al Davis' last draft pick for a franchise that he ran for half a century. His last pick was the perfect story book ending to his great career. Selecting Pryor with a 3rd round pick not only fit Davis' mold of targeting the biggest and fastest players, but by selecting him so high he proved once again that he only cared about one opinion and one opinion only, his. That was last year though, and this year the Raiders find themselves with new management and a new agenda for building this team. Where Pryor fits into those plans, will likely be determined by his development over the next couple of seasons. Because last years supplemental draft wasn't until August 22nd, Pryor did not get much practice time with the team in training camp. He also faced a 5 game suspension to begin his first NFL season for his violations of NCAA policy in college. While this is techn...

Much like the understanding that the NFL has become a passing league, it has also has adopted the "running back by committee" model. In a day and age where running backs seem to be a dime a dozen, teams are less likely to commit to one guy and therefore take on the RBBC approach to the season. With the mindset of having multiple backs sharing the touches, many also assume that each team needs a "speed back" and a "power back". The idea, of course, being that the power back gets the tough yards and wears down the defense while the speed back plays the finesse role and provides the home run threat to the offense. The last few years the Raiders have had the luxury of a backfield that consisted of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. In some ways, it seemed to be the perfect combination power and speed that would be a nightmare for any defense. Except when you break down the games when both running backs were healthy last year, you saw more of McFadden wearing do...

Nathan Stupar #54 College: Penn State Height: 6'1⅝" Weight: 241 lbs Arm Length: 31.3" Hand Size 9.1"   40 Yard Dash: 4.78 3 Cone Drill: 6.84 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.28 Bench Press: 21 reps Vertical Jump: 31" Broad Jump: 116"   Nathan Stupar was drafted out of Linebacker U. Regardless of what the college is famous for now, they have been able to produce solid linebackers on a yearly basis. Nathan has a really high football IQ and comes in as a very disciplined player. How's that for a change of pace huh? Disciplined? He also comes from a pedigree of NFL players which include a brother Jonathan Stupar who most recently played TE for the Baltimore Ravens and an uncle Jeff Hostetler who is a former quarterback of the Raiders. Stupar started 7 games his senior season at outside linebacker and collected 73 tackles which included 6.5 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. He's still is a bit of an unknown though having played behind a rich crop of linebacke...

Kaelin Burnett #57 College: Nevada Height: 6'3½" Weight: 234 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size N/A   40 Yard Dash: 4.64 3 Cone Drill: 6.70 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.30 Bench Press: 20 reps Vertical Jump: 34.5" Broad Jump: 129"   Kaelin Burnett is the brother of Miami Dolphins linebacker Kevin Burnett. Kaelin began his career playing outside linebacker at Nevada, but was moved to defensive end right before his senior season . He is obviously not your prototypical defensive end at 234 lbs, but did show case his agility and notched 48 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks in his senior season. Kaelin's road to the NFL was not easy though. He had to overcome shoulder surgery in 2008 and a very serious hip injury he suffered during spring practice before his senior season at Nevada. “I went up in the air to knock down a screen pass,” Burnett said in an interview with Joe Santoro from examiner.com. “I got pushed in the air and landed on my hip.” this wasn't an o...

Miles Burris #56 College: San Diego St. Height: 6'2⅛" Weight: 246 lbs Arm Length: 31.7" Hand Size 9.7"   40 Yard Dash: 4.67 3 Cone Drill: 6.81 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.20 Bench Press: 31 reps Vertical Jump: 37.5" Broad Jump: 121"   The Raiders seemed very excited at the opportunity to grab Miles Burris in the 4th round of the draft this year. In my opinion Miles seemed to fly under the radar a bit, and I wanted to dig a little deeper into why that was. Miles is a very instinctive player. He rarely second guesses his first read, and doesn't waste movements during the play. By that I mean he doesn't take a lot of "false steps" or move lateral too much.  Because of that Miles plays faster than his 40 time suggests and is another reason why straight line speed is overrated by many. He has an attack mentality about him that I believe had a lot to do with the Raiders interest in him. Miles made a lot of "splash" plays at San Diego...

Travis Goethel #50 College: Arizona St. Height: 6'2½" Weight: 240 lbs Arm Length: 32.0" Hand Size 9.6"   40 Yard Dash: 4.81 3 Cone Drill: 6.93 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.54 Bench Press: 21 reps Vertical Jump: 35" Broad Jump: 111"   Travis Goethel was selected in the 6th round in the 2010 draft. He was initially thought to be one of those late round steals after making some significant noise in training camp, but a lower back injury limited him severely his first season with the Raiders. He saw action in just 8 games his rookie season, most of which was on special teams. After showing signs of promise his rookie year before the injury, many were excited to see what Goethel had to offer in his second season with a clean bill of health. He burst onto the scene again in 2011, drawing rave reviews in training camp from the coaches, and was in line to start at weak side linebacker. Fans again began to hope Goethel would emerge into a late round steal for the R...

Philip Wheeler #52 College: Georgia Tech Height: 6'1⅞" Weight: 248 lbs Arm Length: N/A" Hand Size: N/A"   40 Yard Dash: 4.76 3 Cone Drill: 7.11 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.29 Bench Press: 24 reps Vertical Jump: 31" Broad Jump: 118"   "A tenacious, strong and remarkably athletic inside linebacker... considered by many as one of the nation's best-blitzing linebackers". Those were words used to describe Philip Wheeler coming out of college. He averaged a half sack per game his senior year at Georgia Tech and also led the team in tackles. His athleticism allows him to play coverage as well and he led Georgia Tech in interceptions in 2007 with four, not bad for an inside linebacker. His athleticism was a big part of why he was drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2008 draft. The Colts have been a very finesse defense for the better part of a decade and really liked how a guy like Wheeler fit into their defensive system. The Colts run a s...

Rolando McClain #55 College: Alabama Height: 6'3" Weight: 254 lbs Arm Length: 33" Hand Size: 9 3/8"   40 Yard Dash: 4.69 3 Cone Drill: N/A 20 Yard Shuttle: N/A Bench Press: 24 reps Vertical Jump: 35" Broad Jump: N/A   In the last decade there have been a lot of Raiders first round picks that were scrutinized far before they ever put on a uniform. A lot of the scrutiny was justified, but should not always be directed at the player. After all, the players can't control where they are selected. Rolando McClain "broke the mold" if you will, when it comes to first round picks by the Raiders though. He was thought of by many to finally be one of those "sure thing" draft picks. Well the start of McClain's career in the NFL has been anything but "sure". McClain struggled to make the transition from a one gap linebacker in Nick Saban's 34 defense at Alabama to a two gap linebacker in the 43 defense the Raiders ran in hi...

Aaron Curry #51 College: Wake Forest Height: 6'1⅝" Weight: 254 lbs Arm Length: N/A" Hand Size: N/A" 40 Yard Dash: 4.56 3 Cone Drill: 7.15 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.51 Bench Press: 25 reps Vertical Jump: 37" Broad Jump: 124"   Curry was a very highly touted linebacker coming out of Wake Forest who seemed to be the total package. After being selected fourth overall in 2009, many assumed that Seattle would have a young star on defense to build around for years to come. To the surprise of many, Aaron Curry was traded to the Raiders in 2011 just five games into his third season. Of course the first thought that goes through everyone's mind when a top five draft pick is traded that early in his career is that they turned out to be a bust. However, I don't believe that to be true with Curry. In his rookie season he started 12 games and had 61 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He didn't light the world on fire but had a pretty solid year all th...

Travionte Session #87 College: Nevada Height: 6'2" Weight: 195 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size: N/A   40 Yard Dash: N/A 3 Cone Drill: N/A 20 Yard Shuttle: N/A Bench Press: N/A Vertical Jump: N/A Broad Jump: N/A   Travionte Session is the true wild card of the group. Coming from the infamous “Pistol” offense at Nevada where he played a long side Colin Kaepernick, Session didn’t see a lot of targets in college. The “Pistol” offense doesn’t exactly cater to wide receivers which meant Session played a more important role blocking than he did receiving. As a non invitee to the NFL combine Session has not had many chances to prove his worth to NFL coaches. The Raiders scouts saw enough of this guy though to give him a shot in camp. Session does run well, but that alone will not make him stand out in Oakland where speed isn’t exactly hard to come by. Session is 6’2″ so he has the height to go up over defenders to make catches, but doesn’t have a very big frame weighing in at...

Thomas Mayo #19 College: California (PA) Height: 6'1¼" Weight: 207 lbs Arm Length: 32.5" Hand Size: 9.3"   40 Yard Dash: 4.53 3 Cone Drill: 7.10 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.61 Bench Press: 15 reps Vertical Jump: 39" Broad Jump: 121"   Thomas Mayo is another guy who put up big numbers at a small school. He certainly has the size to be effective at 6’1″ 200 lbs, and he used that to his advantage in his collegiate career. The main concern with Mayo is that he is not a great athlete. He is stiff in the hips coming out of breaks and struggles to adjust to the ball at times. He does have the ability to make flashy catches at times, but his hands are a bit inconsistent. Mayo has average 4.5 speed which is fast enough to be effective in the NFL, but he doesn’t seem to have the burst or quickness to his game either. He has had some drop problems in OTA’s to this point but it’s still early. He still has a chance to rebound, but will need to improve quickly or he mi...

Brandon Carswell #13 College: USC Height: 6'1" Weight: 201 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size: N/A   40 Yard Dash: 4.47 3 Cone Drill: 7.04 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.22 Bench Press: 18 reps Vertical Jump: 34" Broad Jump: 112"   Brandon Carswell does not fit the mold of a typical Raider receiver when you think back to years past. He doesn’t have blinding speed, he’s not known for stretching the defense, and you could probably count on one hand the number of times he has run a 9 route. That does not mean he doesn’t have a lot of valuable assets to his game though. He has solid hands, runs pretty good routes, and has good size and strength. He stands 6’1″ 201 lbs and completed 18 reps of 225 lbs at his pro day prior to this years draft. I look at Carswell as more of a possession type receiver which actually fits the new West Coast offensive scheme for the Raiders pretty well. He does well at finding soft spots in zone defenses and is also decent after the catch. His stren...

Duke Calhoun #14 College: Memphis Height: 6'2" Weight: 195 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size: N/A   40 Yard Dash: 4.49 3 Cone Drill: 6.75 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.46 Bench Press: 12 reps Vertical Jump: 35" Broad Jump: 124"   Duke Calhoun was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Giants in 2010 after catching 19 touchdowns during his time at Memphis. Calhoun made the Giants final roster his rookie year drawing all kinds of praise from the coaching staff throughout camp. Most of his playing time came on special teams in his rookie year and he finished the season with just one catch. The coaches were just as impressed with Calhoun to start 2011, but the emergence of Victor Cruz along with draft picks Ramses Barden and Jerrel Jernigan didn’t leave much room left for Calhoun. He later injured his hamstring in training camp which led to his release. Calhoun has good height but has a very slender build. He can run pretty well as he posted a 4.44 40 yard dash coming out ...

Derrick Carrier #89 College: Beloit Height: 6'3" Weight: 238 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size: N/A   40 Yard Dash: 4.50 3 Cone Drill: 6.65 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.08 Bench Press: 15 reps Vertical Jump: 38" Broad Jump: 122"   Derrick Carrier is truly playing the role of underdog this season. Coming into the league from Division III Beloit college he faces one of the biggest jumps in competition that one could imagine. As to be expected from anyone making the jump from Division III to the NFL, he dominated his opposition in college setting school records in catches, yards, and touchdowns just to name a few. Standing at 6’3″ 238 lbs many expected Carrier to begin his career at tight end. The Raiders, who brought him in for a private workout prior the draft, had other ideas. Carrier has been working exclusively as a wide receiver through mini-camp and OTA’s making his battle for a roster spot that much tougher. Carrier is not the type of guy who relies on talent alone...

Louis Murphy #18 College: Florida Height: 6'2⅜" Weight: 203 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size: N/A   40 Yard Dash: 4.32 3 Cone Drill: 6.95 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.45 Bench Press: 12 reps Vertical Jump: N/A Broad Jump: N/A   Louis Murphy finds himself on the roster bubble heading into this year. Early on in his career he looked like he might be the next big play maker at receiver for the Raiders, but after hauling in 75 catches and 6 TD’s in his first two years he has struggled to stay healthy and only had 15 total receptions last year. Coming from a high-powered offense at Florida, Murphy was another one of those late round finds for the Raiders in 2009. He came into the league with a chip on his shoulder wanting to prove to the world that he was more than just another speed guy at wide receiver. He will need to recapture that determination if he plans to work his way back into the receiver rotation in Oakland. Starring him in the face are a hungry group of newcomers who bel...

Rod Streater #80 College: Temple Height: 6'2" Weight: 193 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size: N/A   40 Yard Dash: 4.46 3 Cone Drill: 7.06 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.07 Bench Press: 18 reps Vertical Jump: 37.5" Broad Jump: 133"   It’s still early, but few new comers are drawing as much buzz as Rod Streater. After being singled out by Dennis Allen in his first mini camp for “looking sharp”, Rod has continued to impress. Vittorio Tafur, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, had this to say while watching a recent OTA session: “Still haven’t seen rookie WR Rod Streater drop a ball, or do anything but tuck ball in for a nap every pass thrown his way”. Streater has flown under the radar for different reasons to this point in his career. He started out at a junior college before transferring to Temple for his Junior and Senior year. He has the size at 6’3″ 200 lbs to be an effective wide out at the NFL level and showed flashes of excellence in college but was inconsistent...

Eddie McGee #16 College: Illinois Height: 6'3" Weight: 207 lbs Arm Length: N/A Hand Size: N/A   40 Yard Dash: 4.50 3 Cone Drill: 6.68 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.51 Bench Press: 10 reps Vertical Jump: 31" Broad Jump: 115"   Eddie McGee is a guy who has been forgotten by many with all the new comers this season. The former quarterback from Illinois turned wide receiver got his chance during training camp last year. McGee showed his potential throughout camp, but fell short of a spot on the final 53 mainly because he was still very raw. He was also slowed by an ankle injury towards the end of camp last year as well which pretty much sealed his fate. His work was not without reward though as the coaches saw enough potential in him to sign him to the practice squad and keep him around all last season. McGee has added some muscle mass and is ready to get back at it again this year. Once last year ended McGee sought out Carson Palmer for help improving his game as a wide...