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2013 OAKLAND RAIDERS DRAFTEES

1 (12) (12) D.J. Hayden DB 5-11 191 Houston.
Overview: Quarterback Case Keenum deservedly dominated the headlines surrounding the Cougars' program for the past few seasons as he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total offense, passing yardage, touchdown passes and completions. Scouts took notice of Hayden's play, however, when the opponents tried to keep up with Keenum's fast-break scoring - making him the first Houston defender to the first drafted by an NFL team since cornerback Stanford Routt in 2005 (second round, Oakland). The Fort Bend, Texas, product grew up less than an hour from UH's Robertson Stadium, but had to go the junior college route before picking his hometown Cougars over several other major programs. He helped Navarro College win the 2010 national junior college championship as a sophomore with three interceptions. D.J. (Derek, Jr.) made an instant impact as a junior, garnering Conference USA's Defensive Newcomer of the Year award and second-team all-conference honours after leading the team with 11 pass break-ups and finishing tied for seventh nationally with five forced fumbles. He also had 66 tackles, eight for loss, and intercepted two passes on the year. As a senior, Hayden was hurt in a freak hit during practice. He tore a large vein, the inferior vena cava, which carries blood from the lower half of the body back up to the heart. Before the injury, Hayden played in nine games, and recorded eight pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He was named to the Coaches first-team All-Conference USA.
Bottom Line: Hayden helped Navarro Junior College win a national championship in 2010, and then aided the Cougars 13-1 finish in 2011 as Conference USA's Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a junior (11 pass break-ups, five forced fumbles). He was having a fantastic senior campaign until a life-threatening injury cut it short.
2 (10) (42) Menelik Watson T 6-5 310 Florida State.
Overview: Watson grew up in Manchester, England, and comes from a tough background. As an avid sports fan, Watson saw athletics as a way out of poverty, and a way to stay out of the streets. He played soccer most his early life, but moved on to basketball when he realized that he did not have a future in soccer. In 2007, he joined Orellana in Spain and was named a team captain of a travelling basketball team. After two years and a tour of the United States, Watson earned a basketball scholarship from Marist. Once Watson realized that wasn't going to work, he took up boxing. But this didn't last long, as Watson fell in love with Florida State and the game of football after a trip to see the Seminoles play. However, before Watson was able to attract the interest of the Seminoles, he had to first play at Saddleback Junior College, where he was teammates with fellow NFL draft hopeful Kyle Long. After fall camps, Watson won the Seminoles' right tackle job, and started every game. He declared early in order to help support his family. He was an All-ACC honourable mention.
Bottom Line: Watson has rare athletic ability on a tremendous frame. He has an explosive first step, light feet, and a powerful punch. There are a lot of things in his game that need to be cleaned up from a technique standpoint, and he will be 25 years old in his rookie season. He can project to either tackle spot, or possibly even inside, at guard.
3 (4) (66) Sio Moore LB 6-1 245 UConn.
Overview: In the 20 editions of the NFL draft before UConn moved to the Big East in 2004, the Huskies saw four of their players selected. In the last eight drafts since, 16 players from Connecticut have heard their names called. Former Huskies head coach Randy Edsell is no longer with the program after leading it though the transition to the FBS that helped the team
get more recruits, but Moore (whose full first name is Snorsio, with the shortened version pronounced SEE-oh) is expected to join as many as five teammates in continuing the school's new tradition as a producer of NFL talent. Moore was born in the African country of Liberia, and grew up in Connecticut before moving to North Carolina after his freshman year of high school. He played in four games as a redshirt freshman (six tackles, one for loss) before taking the starting job four games into 2010. Moore played every game that year, starting nine, and was credited with 110 tackles, 11.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks. As a junior, he started every game, racking up 86 tackles, a team-leading 16 for loss, 6.5 sacks and six pass breakups. In his senior year, in which he earned All-Big East first-team honours, Moore notched 72 tackles (15.5 for loss), 7.5 sacks, and 11 pass breakups.
Bottom Line: UConn is becoming more than just a basketball school, as Moore is one of a handful of Huskies potentially earning mid-round grades. He isn't the biggest of linebackers, but is productive (196 tackles, 27.5 for loss in 2010-2011), plays stronger than his frame indicates, and has the athleticism to play either strong side, or weak side linebacker in the pros.
4 (15) (112) Tyler Wilson QB 6-2 215 Arkansas.
Overview: Winning two straight Arkansas state titles to finish his high school career was simply a harbinger of Wilson's future success in Fayetteville. He bided his time his first three seasons behind current New England Patriots backup Ryan Mallett before spreading his wings as a starter in 2011. Wilson threw a total of 109 passes over his first three seasons with the Razorbacks, more than a third of which came when stepping in for an injured Mallett against eventual BCS champion Auburn in 2010. He caught scouts' attention by completing 25 of 34 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns that day, in less than three quarters of action. He followed up that success as a junior, earning a team captaincy and starting all 13 games and leading the team to a school-tying 11 wins. Wilson earned first-team All-SEC accolades and was a finalist for the Manning and Unitas Golden Arm Awards with 3,638 passing yards and 24 touchdowns (against just six interceptions). Among the highlights from 2011 were the second-half comeback he led against Texas A&M at Cowboys Stadium (510 passing yards, three touchdowns) and Offensive MVP performance at the Cotton Bowl (20-31, 216 yards, two TDs). After Bobby Petrino's firing and the departure of three extremely talented receivers, Wilson didn't look as strong as he did the year prior. The Razorbacks finished with a 4-8 record, and Wilson completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 3,387 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Bottom Line: After he looked like a superstar in the making after his 2011 campaign, Wilson was unable to improve upon his junior season for a myriad of reasons, including the loss of his head coach, the departure of his three favourite receivers, and a sub-par offensive line. Wilson spent much of the year under duress, but showed impressive toughness in consistently staring down the barrel to deliver throws while getting hit, and bouncing up right after. While scouts will want to see more from Wilson in the vertical passing game, it's tough to ignore his overall skill set. In addition to these quarterbacking skills, Wilson's a proven leader and it has been reported that he comes off as quite charming in interviews with teams. When these facts are combined with the number of quarterback-needy teams in the draft, it's very likely that Wilson will ultimately be a top-15 pick.
6 (4) (172) Nick Kasa TE 6-6 269 Colorado.
Overview: In recent years, multiple high school tight ends have made the successful conversion to offensive tackle. Kasa (Cah-suh) is attempting a different path, moving from defensive end eight games into his junior season to tight end. The son of a collegiate offensive tackle and linebacker, Kasa's physical style from his time at defensive end and power fullback shows in his inline blocking, a skill that will serve him well early on. Kasa's first year at Colorado did not get off to a smooth start, as he missed the first three games of the season after suffering a knee injury during the team's first fall scrimmage. The injury did not require surgery. After seeing the field in the next four games, Kasa was again sidelined for the five contests due to mononucleosis. The NCAA did not award Kasa a redshirt for the lost 2009 season. Kasa played in all 12 games, including one start, the following year, tallying 18 tackles including two for a loss. As a junior, Kasa failed to earn a start at either position after moving from defensive end to tight end following the eight game of the season. In fact, Kasa only saw action at tight end in one game, the season finale against Utah, and caught one pass for eight yards. Finally, as a senior, Kasa hit his stride at the tight end position, starting every game while recording 25 catches for 391 yards and three touchdowns. What impressed onlookers the most was not Kasa's receiving ability, but instead his willingness to block and overlooked straight-line speed on vertical routes.
6 (13) (181) Latavius Murray RB 6-2 223 UCF.
Overview: Murray, 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, is fast, strong and holds on to the ball as well as anyone. He fumbled only once in 453 rushes in college. At Central Florida's pro day, Murray ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 and 4.38 seconds. He had a 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 36-inch vertical jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.36 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.81
seconds. He also performed 22 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. Murray amassed 19 touchdowns rushing and receiving last season. He averaged 5.6 yards rushing. He gives the Raiders another option at running back behind unquestioned starter Darren McFadden, along with Rashad Jennings and Jeremy Stewart.
6 (16) (184) Mychal Rivera TE 6-3 242 Tennessee.
Overview: Rivera was part of Oregon's typical group of California signees in 2008, earning high marks as a tight end prospect nationally out of Valencia's Birmingham High School. But after redshirting his first year, he found himself buried on the depth chart behind future NFL players Ed Dickson, Dion Jordan (now an outstanding defensive prospect for the Ducks) and David Paulson. Two transfers later, Rivera himself is looking like a potential contributor on Sunday using his athleticism and strong hands. Instead of sitting out a season transferring from Oregon to another FBS program, he played for the successful College of the
Canyons JUCO program (32 receptions, 316 yards, three touchdowns) in 2009. He picked Tennessee as his next home out of a range of suitors, and played all 13 games for the Volunteers (managing 11 receptions for 112 yards) as a sophomore back-up to another NFL-calibre performer in Luke Stocker. Finally getting his chance to start in 2011, he lined up with the first team in all 12 games, covering 344 yards and scoring once on his 29 catches. This year, as a senior, Rivera caught 36 passes for 562 yards and five touchdowns.
Bottom Line: Rivera originally signed with Oregon out of high school, but the Ducks' depth at tight end caused him to transfer to a junior college for one year before arriving in Knoxville. After one season behind Luke Stocker, he began really using his hands and athleticism to help the Volunteers in 2011 and 2012. Rivera fits the current trend of teams searching for pass-catching tight ends able to take advantage of coverage mismatches, so he might earn late-round grades come April.
6 (37) (205) Stacy McGee DT 6-3 308 Oklahoma.
Overview: McGee hasn't reminded scouts of former Sooners first-round picks Tommie Harris (taken 14th overall by the Chicago Bears in 2004) and Gerald McCoy (third, Tampa Bay, 2010) by exploding into opponents' backfield to put up huge statistics throughout the past four years in Norman. But he does possess the physical attributes NFL teams covet in their defensive linemen. Despite being ranked among the top 15 defensive tackle high school prospects in the country out of Muskogee, Oklahoma, McGee could not beat out veterans in the middle to make an impact as a redshirt freshman (one tackle in two games played). That changed in 2010, as he earned 11 starts and played in every game (26 tackles, 3.5 for loss). He was arrested for marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession after being pulled over in February 2011, however, which led to an opening week suspension that fall. He started just three games, playing in the team's final 12 games, earning 26 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and the first 1.5 sacks of his career. In his senior season, McGee spent the first six games of the season suspended for violating university rules in the preseason. He participated in six games on the season, making 14 tackles (2.5 for loss) and contributing one sack. He was arrested for driving under the influence and with a suspended license before the team's bowl game.
Bottom Line: McGee has all the physical attributes to be a contributor as a 4-3 defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end. However, between a lack of production throughout his career, multiple off the field incidents, and suspensions, he is unlikely to be drafted.
7 (3) (209) Brice Butler WR 6-3 205 San Diego State.
Overview: Butler played one season for the Aztecs after transferring to San Diego State from Southern California. Butler's best collegiate season came with the Aztecs in 2012, when he had 24 catches for 347 yards and four touchdowns. He opened some eyes with an impressive showing at his pro day. He ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and displayed a 39-inch vertical leap. He stands 6-3 and weighs 205 pounds. Brice Butler transferred from Southern Cal to San Diego State after three seasons. Do not be surprised to see the Raiders convert Butler to cornerback. Butler's father Bobby played defensive backs
for the Atlanta Falcons during a 12-year NFL career.
7 (27) (233) David Bass DT 6-4 262 Missouri Western.
Overview: Just like every year, a few small schoolers break onto the scene and perform very well on an equal playing field. Bass is one of these prospects, as he was the most consistent pass rusher at the East-West Shrine game. The senior broke two records during his final year at Missouri Western State breaking the school's career sack (39.5) and consecutive starts (50). When asked the one word to describe himself, Bass answered "beast". Bass immediately started as a freshman in all 12 games, finishing with 47 tackles, 9.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks. In 2010, Bass put up similar numbers in the same 12 starts, with 47 tackles, 10.5 for loss, and eight sacks. His production only went up, with 14.5 sacks in 12 starts as a junior on 20 tackles for loss. Bass' 14 starts in 2012 were a career high and tallied 11.5 sacks.