Five years of football futility has Bay Area fans doubting the future of what once were proud NFL franchises.

Was it really way back in 2003 when the 49ers were last crowned NFC West champions? Was it really that long ago that the Raiders reached the Super Bowl?

Since that season, the five-time Super Bowl champion 49ers have posted a pathetic 25-55 record. Across the Bay Bridge, the Raiders have been even worse. The Silver-and-Black, winners of three Super Bowls, have stumbled to a sickly 19-61.

Yet, all of that can change with today's NFL Draft.

OK, you're right. It won't.

But both the 49ers and Raiders are clearly "on the clock," and will continue to be next fall, as patience is wearing thin. And both teams will try to add prized pieces to the puzzle today with hopes of showing progress in the rebuilding efforts when they kick off the 2008 campaign.

At this point, it's tough to say which of the two teams is actually further along in the process.

We thought the 49ers had a clear leg up, after a seven-win season in 2006, but San Fran slipped back into the shadows with just five wins last fall.

And just as we were ready to toss another shovel full of dirt on the Raiders - after scoffing at Al Davis' decision to turn the team over to young pup Lane Kiffin - dare I say we've suddenly found a pulse in Oakland?

Whether or not you believe either franchise is actually headed in the right direction, the next step for both - today's draft - could be crucial to them one day returning to the league's elite.

But there's also little doubt that the NFL Draft is where both teams went wrong in the first place.

Let's start in Oakland, where just 22 of the 43 players picked by the Raiders over the past five years remain on the roster. And of the 21 departed, 15 aren't even in the league anymore.

Still, looking at the top end of each of those drafts, it's obvious that Oakland did find some frontline folks. Of the 21 players the Raiders picked among the first 100 selections - or, pretty much, the first three rounds - of each draft, 18 are still with the team.

Twelve are listed as starters.

Of course, it's open to debate whether the players starting for the Raiders could do so anywhere else in the league. And with six of those starters - including quarterback JaMarcus Russell - selected in the past two years, the jury is still out on whether they were, in fact, wise picks.

The Raiders own the fourth overall selection in today's draft, which gives them a shot at scoring one of the best talents available. Kiffin needs help at several areas, including wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line.

The one area Oakland does not need help is at running back, where a stable of proven and promising backs (Justin Fargas, Dominic Rhodes, LaMont Jordan and Michael Bush) already reside.

Even while Rhodes, Jordan and Bush - who sat out his rookie year recovering from a broken leg - struggled with injuries (and in Rhodes' case a suspension for substance abuse), the Raiders ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing yards last fall.

So why in the world are so many members of "Raider Nation" talking about Darren McFadden, the break-away back out of Arkansas?

Like the team's owner, they apparently just can't help themselves in coveting quick-strike capability.

The better move with that fourth pick would be select one of two defensive ends to shore up Oakland's rush defense (31st in the league) and spark its pass rush with some quarterback sacks (28th).

Vernon Gholston out of Ohio State has drawn rave reviews after an impressive performance at the scouting combine. But Chris Long, the son of legendary Raider great Howie Long, would also be a solid - and sentimental - selection with the fourth pick.

The wiser move, one being whispered by the "experts" around the league, might be trading the pick to move down the draft order for more players. After the fourth pick, the next selection Oakland currently owns is in the fourth round.

And with a deep pool of wideouts, including Limas Sweed (Texas), Devin Thomas (Michigan State), Malcom Kelly (Oklahoma), James Hardy (Indiana) and DeSean Jackson (Cal), the Raiders could reel in a receiver and possibly add a defensive lineman for the price of the fourth overall pick.

It might be the smarter move, but considering Davis is still in charge - made clear when he reportedly asked Kiffin to resign in the offseason - don't be surprised to see McFadden pull a Raiders cap across his brow.

San Francisco's scenario is even more of a mystery. Despite the 49ers' 5-11 finish last year, head coach Mike Nolan and new general manager Scot McCloughan won't make a selection until the 29th pick.

That's because the 49ers traded their 2008 first round pick to the New England Patriots last year for the 28th selection in the 2007 draft - a productive pick for San Francisco, all the same, landing starting offensive tackle Joe Staley.

Yet if NorCal fans didn't already despise Bill Belichick and the Pats, would you believe the throw-away pick tossed in that trade - the 110th overall - was eventually sent back to the Bay Area and the Raiders for none other than Randy Moss.

If you're keeping score, Belichick and company brought in Moss (and his record-breaking 23 touchdown catches), in addition to today's seventh pick, in exchange for a late first-round and a middle fourth-round pick in last year's draft.

Spygate or not, Belichick is one shrewd dude.

But back to the pick at hand. San Francisco would do well to select a player capable of stepping into a starting position, as was the case with Staley. Though they need help at wide receiver, offensive line and linebacker, which need the Niners are likely to address will come down to which position the best player available plays.

Having already added Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson at wideout, McCloughan might be more apt to try and find a linebacker to replace Derek Smith, who will line up with the Chargers in 2008 - though last year's top pick, Patrick Willis, will be a huge help in that cause.

No matter where the 49ers go with their first-round pick, they'll still be making moves to turn around a franchise that was all but floored by a pair of past drafts.

Of the six players selected among the top 100 in the final two drafts (2003-04) of the Terry Donahue era, just one is still a 49er - second-string defensive back Shawnte Spencer.

It's hard to figure which draft was worse - 2003, from which 197th pick Arnaz Battle is the lone survivor, or 2004, which saw San Francisco select wideout Rashaun Woods - last seen signing with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League - with its first-round pick.

Still, out of the 41 players the 49ers have picked in the past five drafts, 25 remain with the team - and 10 of the 16 who left are now playing elsewhere in the league, showing San Francisco's scouts did their job.

Looking ahead, though, with eight starters netted from the top 100 players picked each of the past five drafts - including four from Nolan's first draft in 2005: quarterback Alex Smith, running back Frank Gore and offensive guards David Baas and Adam Snyder - maybe the Niners aren't actually so far from contending after all.

Maybe they just need the players they have to mature into their roles, such as Smith, who must now win a battle with backup quarterback Shaun Hill for the starting spot.

Anyway you look at it, though, both teams are on the clock - one that will continue tick into the fall, when progress will be measured only in wins and losses.

And no one knows that more than the two coaches currently heading up the Bay Area rebuilding projects.



Brian Hamilton is sports editor at The Union. His column appears Saturdays. Contact him via e-mail at bhamilton@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4240.