With the 2013 NFL Draft lacking marquee talent in the top 10, the Oakland Raiders were able to engineer a trade out of the No. 3 overall spot and still address a major area of need in the first round.
The Raiders had been attempting to move out of the third spot for much of Thursday, and finally found a trade partner in the Miami Dolphins, who gave Oakland the No. 12 and No. 42 overall picks to get into position to select Oregon pass rusher Dion Jordan.
The Raiders didn’t have a first-round pick in 2012, so this was the first time Al Davis didn’t make the call on the team’s first-round pick since 1967. That job fell to second-year general manager Reggie McKenzie, who took a significant gamble on Houston cornerback DJ Hayden.
Hayden rocketed up draft boards in recent weeks after passing several medical tests, and is one of the 2013 draft’s feel-good stories. He started the first nine games for Houston last season before suffering a life-threatening injury during a November practice.
Hayden collided with a teammate and tore a major vein in his heart, nearly bleeding out internally. He survived the scare, but Hayden was nearly forced out of football.
He arrived at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February as a mid-round prospect who still couldn’t take part in drills. However, he did undergo thorough medical testing that began to satisfy the concerns NFL teams had about Hayden’s long-term health.
He continued his rehab and at Houston’s pro day in March, he showed what he could do at full strength, ripping off a blazing 40-yard dash clocked as low as 4.33 seconds on some watches. Hayden immediately became a hot name in scouting circles, rising into the first-round conversation in the past two weeks.
Hayden’s name was tied to the Raiders as high as the No. 3 overall pick early Thursday. With many mock drafts also projecting Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd as a possibility in that spot, Oakland was able to move back nine spots and still have a shot at both prospects.
Hayden was the choice, and joins a defense that was in dire need of an infusion of young talent in the defensive backfield. The Raiders added cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter in free agency, but Hayden has excellent speed and anticipation skills that should put him in position for the nickel position from the outset at the very least.
With the No. 42 pick from the Dolphins and their own picks at No. 66 and No. 100, Oakland owned four of the Top 100 selections after the deal, putting the Raiders in position to address other pressing needs including pass rusher, offensive guard, offensive tackle and perhaps even quarterback.