Oakland Raiders Rumors: Matt Flynn Trade At Quarterback, Free Agents Charles Woodson and Nick Roach With Healthy Darren McFadden Makes Team Most Improved In 2013

The NFL offseason has started to move into the team workout stage with training camps set to start later in the summer and following the draft many franchises around the league are evaluating their draft picks and their free agent moves while trying to make final decisions for the upcoming season and one team that should feel good looking back over the past few months are the Oakland Raiders.

The team has been in a downward spiral for years and after coming off a 4-12 season in 2012, the Raiders could be looked at as a team in decline, but after making a number of solid free agent signings and smart draft selections, Oakland is one team that should finish with a better record than they had last season. General manager Reggie McKenzie inherited a tough financial and talent situation when he took over the Raiders personnel decisions and after cutting a number of veterans, including Michael Huff and Darrius Heyward-Bey, he gave himself some flexibility and used it to drastically change the roster for the better.

The secondary was very inconsistent last season and McKenzie brought in two new starters in Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter and also added a talented rookie with the number 12 pick in DJ Hayden after making a trade. The move gave the Raiders 10 draft picks after coming in with far less and McKenzie was able to add depth at some need positions, including quarterback Tyler Wilson, tight end Nick Kasa and running back Latavius Murray. The team added 10 players to the roster, including four sixth round picks and two in the seventh and after making the trade down with the Dolphins they still got the player they wanted in Hayden.

The Raiders felt comfortable moving down because they felt that Hayden was the best rated cornerback in the draft ahead of Dee Milliner, who everyone else had rated as number one. The team's gamble paid off and the New York Jets selected Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner and the Raiders were able to take Hayden with the 12th pick. Adding Jenkins and Porter to the secondary will be very helpful to the development

The Raiders are hoping many of these players can contribute right away and stay on the roster as starters for multiple years, as the past few years have been absolute disaster for the Raiders draft wise. There are only two first round picks left on the roster with Darren McFadden and Sebastian Janikowski and some players they have whiffed on include JaMarcus Russell, Robert Gallery and more recently Rolando McClain, who just retired after being arrested again. The Raiders should have a much improved linebacking unit as well after adding Nick Roach and Kevin Burnett in free agency.

The biggest change for the Raiders will be on offense after the Raiders traded away Carson Palmer and acquired quarterback Matt Flynn, who is the presumed starter after coming over from the Seattle Seahawks. Both JAcoby Ford and Denaruis Moore should benefit from the move and Kasa could step up big as a rookie to replace the production of last year's leading receiver in tight end Brandon Myers, who made 79 catches for over 800 yards but is now a New York Giant. The Raiders let Philip Wheeler, Brandon Myers and Desmond Bryant go in free agency but after bringing in the players they did, they could be one of the biggest surprises in the league.