Raiders don’t forget to make a big splash

NEW YORK —  Gene Washington, the NFL executive who traditionally reads the picks on the second day of the NFL draft, opened the proceedings Sunday with this mental hiccup:

“The Los Angeles Raiders are on the clock.... “

Let’s see, the Raiders are coming off a 2-14 season, they haven’t won a Super Bowl since their coach was in elementary school, and now folks are forgetting the team’s city of origin. Bad sign.

Things can only get better.

And, over the weekend, maybe they did.

The Oakland Raiders made Louisiana State quarterback JaMarcus Russell the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, choosing a player who rekindles memories of the club’s drop-back-and-sling-it days. Whether he’s the ideal fit for new Coach Lane Kiffin’s offense is another issue, but he’s clearly a player who sets the hearts of Raider Nation aflutter. From that perspective, the Raiders are draft winners. They wanted to make a splash, and they did.

Their other big move of the weekend was addition by subtraction. They got rid of apathetic receiver Randy Moss, a major distraction, shipping him to New England for a fourth-round pick. The Raiders also addressed their needs for a tight end with Arizona State’s Zach Miller and a pass rusher with Georgia sack specialist Quentin Moses, although they did nothing on the first day to improve an offensive line that surrendered a league-worst 72 sacks last season. They’ve got to address that to protect their investment in Russell, who should command in the neighborhood of $30 million guaranteed.

By trading for Detroit’s Josh McCown, the Raiders took some pressure off Russell, buying him a bit of time so he won’t have to start right away. Also tossed into that deal was Lions receiver Mike Williams, the one-time USC star and first-round pick, who could benefit from the change of scenery in Oakland.

On Day 2, the Raiders opened the fourth round by grabbing Louisville running back Michael Bush, who might have been a first-round pick had his 2006 season not been derailed by a broken leg, and in the sixth round got Arkansas State fullback Oren O’Neal, among the draft’s best small-college players.

Time will tell whether all these maneuverings make a difference. The league executive called the wrong name; the Raiders are praying they called the right ones.

A look at some of the draft weekend’s winners and losers:

WINNERS

* New England -- Getting Moss for a fourth-round pick was a steal. Yes, he was a headache for the Raiders, but the Patriots have the structure and leadership to get some real value out of him. Remember how Corey Dillon reinvented himself there? With Moss and Donte Stallworth, New England potentially has the most dangerous receiving tandem in the league -- and a quarterback who can feed them the ball.

* Tony Romo -- The Cowboys were in position to take Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn in the first round but instead traded out of that spot so Cleveland could get him. That was a clear vote of confidence for Romo. Dallas later picked up a couple of capable blockers in tackles James Marten of Boston College and Doug Free of Northern Illinois.

* Cleveland -- It’s remarkable the Browns were able to land Quinn with the 22nd pick when they were considering him at No. 3. Now, they have a great left tackle in Joe Thomas to protect his blind side. Yes, Cleveland gave up a lot for Quinn -- including a potential top-10 pick next season -- but look at it this way: They just got their quarterback of the future a year early.

* Carolina -- USC teammates Dwayne Jarrett and Ryan Kalil were projected as first-round picks. The Panthers got them in the second, nabbing two players who can help them right away.

LOSERS

* Green Bay -- Couldn’t the Packers have done a little better by Brett Favre? They needed help at running back, receiver and on the offensive line. Instead, they used their first-round pick to reach for defensive tackle Justin Harrell and didn’t take a receiver until the third round. When they did, it was San Jose State’s James Jones, a guy who barely registered on the radar screens of many scouts.

* Eli Manning -- The Giants can sing the praises of Texas cornerback Aaron Ross all they want -- and, yes, they did need help at that position. But where are they going to find a left tackle who’s got Manning’s back? Central Michigan’s Joe Staley, the third-best lineman in the draft, was still on the board when New York took Ross at No. 20.

* Donovan McNabb -- The Philadelphia quarterback has failed to finish the last two seasons because of injuries, and the Eagles are obviously exploring other options. They wouldn’t have used a second-round pick on Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb if they weren’t reasonably confident he’d find his way onto the field.

* Marcus Thomas -- Thomas, a Florida defensive tackle who was kicked off last season’s national championship team, was seriously downgraded as a character risk. He’s a first-round talent who wasn’t taken until the fourth, when Denver selected him 121st. Put it this way: the Broncos took Maurice Clarett earlier than that.

* Miami -- The most bizarre pick Saturday was their first-round selection of Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn Jr. instead of picking Quinn. The Dolphins eventually took highly regarded Brigham Young quarterback John Beck in the second round, but if Quinn turns out to be a star, they’ll have missed an opportunity to resolve their quarterback troubles.

sam.farmer@latimes.com