If I had a dime for every time I heard someone talk about how unpredictable the Raiders are on draft day, I could settle out of court with Lane Kiffin. Make no mistake, the Raiders and Al Davis are unpredictable in many ways. But when it comes to the draft, recent history shows a surprising trend: pure vanilla.

Perhaps I'm biased. But despite his sound effects and his almost childlike way of describing the action, John Madden always managed to stay compelling in the booth.

Raiders coach Tom Cable addressed the media today for the first time since the owners' meetings, and the local media for the first time since Al Davis gave him the permanent (well, that's not quite the right word) job on Feb. 4. Cable's primary task was to talk about the upcoming draft, but as you might imagine, the interview drifted across many boundaries. Here is much of it:

South Carolina's Jamon Meredith visited the Raiders last Thursday, according to several news reports, and the agency representing Oklahoma's Phil Loadholt e-mailed to say their client is visiting today. These two offensive-tackle prospects could scarcely present more of a contrast.

Until the media is given access to new defensive coordinator John Marshall, we can only speculate on exactly what sort of system Marshall will run in Oakland, and how he might utilize specific players. And we can look at his track record. Breaking down the numbers over his 11 years as a coordinator, that record isn't particularly impressive.

Could the Raiders be ready to make a fast move on draft day? Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey worked out for the Raiders today in College Park, Md.