The Oakland Raiders traded down from the No. 3 spot to No. 12 to draft the person they've been coveting, Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden. Hayden had an incredible comeback after a near-fatal injury back in November.
2013 NFL Draft results: Raiders bulk up secondary with D.J. Hayden
The Raiders got their man with the 12th pick. See how SB Nation’s Raiders blog reacted to the D.J. Hayden pick.
SB Nation’s Raiders blog Silver And Black Pride seems to like the pick so far. Here’s what Levi Damien had to say:
Nine games into his senior season, he was proving the scouts correct with 8 passes defended and 4 interceptions returned for 171 yards. That all came crashing down when he suffered a torn blood vessel in his heart. It is a condition that almost always a killer. He survived the ordeal and doctors say it was a freak occurrence that has no risk of happening again.
Now that he is healed, the injury is being looked at as a positive ie “If he can survive THAT, he can survive anything.” Reggie McKenzie likes tough SOB’s and surviving a torn blood vessel in your heart makes you a tough SOB from where I’m sitting.
The Raiders had Hayden in for a visit to get a closer look at him. They liked what they saw and chose him with their pick at 12th overall.
And here’s a scouting report from Mocking The Draft’s Dan Kadar:
Shows solid agility to move around and cover quick receivers. Possesses good size at just under six foot and 191 pounds. Impressively covered Quinton Patton of Louisiana Tech. Is a sound tackler when he gets off blocks.
Hayden’s hands are decent. In two seasons he had 19 pass breakups and six interceptions. He has a penchant for forcing fumbles as he executes a tackle. Good straight line speed to chase down the ball carrier.
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