The Oakland Raiders drafted DJ Hayden with hopes that he could develop into the next best cornerback in the NFL. Despite a few red flags regarding his health status, Hayden was taken with the 12th overall pick in 2013, but has spent more time off the field than on it. With the word "bust" looming over his head, secondary veteran Charles Woodson admits he is frustrated with the development of Hayden over the past year.
Hayden has had health issues since before he was drafted. The cornerback suffered a torn heart cavity during a free accident in practice at the University of Houston, but most scouts overlooked that considering he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Once he gained medical clearance, the Raiders were hoping to have the young cornerback represent the future of the defense, but instead he simply is placed next to other failed draft picks.
Hayden's latest injury setback has everyone, including his teammates frustrated. After bulking up in the offseason and working on his health, head coach Dennis Allen was hopeful that Hayden would finally step onto the field and be the player the team thought they were getting last season.
"He's light years ahead of where he was at this point last year," Allen said, via the Contra Costa Times. "Not just from a physical standpoint, but really from a mental standpoint, too. He realizes now that everything's going to be fine, he's going to be OK, and now he can really focus on getting better as a football player."
However, the cornerback showed up to practice with a walking boot on and the San Francisco Chronicle reported the cornerback suffered an ankle injury. The coaching staff downplayed the issue, but veteran Woodson admits the number of setbacks has been frustrating to deal with.
"It's a big setback," Woodson said. "As I've stated many times, the way you get better at this game is being out there on the field. There's only so much being in the film room, or looking at the film or studying the plays, there's only so far that's going to take you. You need to be out on the field, and along with that, other guys are going to be getting reps. If you're not out there, proving what you can do, how do you ever get back into the lineup? That will be the test for him, and hopefully it's not nothing that's going to hold him out the whole camp and he doesn't have to worry about being on PUP or anything like that, because he's a guy we feel he can help us out around here."
The outlook of Hayden is not promising, but the ceiling for 2014 first-round pick Khalil Mack looks to be great. The linebacker is earning rave reviews early in training camp especially after placing a sack on quarterback Matt Schaub. General manager Reggie McKenzie sees plenty of Clay Matthews in the rookie as he is hopeful Mack turns out to be a better pick than Hayden.
