Originally published on SBReport.net on July 30, 2013

Bass made a name for himself at the Missouri Western State University by finishing with school-records of 40.5 career sacks and 50 consecutive starts.

The young defensive end used his ability to stay healthy during the offseason workouts to take in all the experience possible while also proving that he can play in the NFL.

“I feel mini-camp, OTA’s and mandatory mini-camp went well,” Bass said. “I showed that I can compete and I can fit and now we’ve got the pads on. I’m slowly taking everything in, like I said earlier: getting adapted to everything. I have my share of mistakes but I’m learning from everything and feel like I’m getting better everyday.”

After starting 14 games as a senior in which racked up 61 tackles, 11.5 sacks and seven passes defensed, Bass was invited to the East-West Shrine game. He was also named one of eight finalists for the Gene Upshaw Award, the award given to the best lineman in NCAA Division II football.

The Raiders finished 31st in the NFL with just 25 sacks last season, so there is no doubt Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is looking for someone to help apply pressure on the opponents’ quarterback.

Bass showed his ability to get into the backfield on Sunday, the team’s first day in pads by getting into the backfield on consecutive plays.

Bass got back there to bat down fellow rookie Tyler Wilson’s pass to the ground and then used his speed to beat the left tackle and get to Wilson again for the simulated sack. Just a couple of plays later, Bass disrupted the play once again by forcing Wilson to just throw the ball towards the ground.

These types of plays from Bass do not come as a surprise to Raiders head coach Dennis Allen.

“When we looked at him for the draft, that was one of the things that we saw: the ability to rush

the passer,” Allen said of the 6-foot-4, 254-pound defensive end. “That’s something that we’re going to count on.”

Allen knows that Bass can apply pressure, but he wants to see growth in his ability in defend the run.

“He’s got to continue to improve on the run game and continue to improve to just understand how to play the NFL game. He comes from a small school so there’s a big learning curve for him but he’s got some athletic ability and some pass-rushing ability.”

Bass knew he had work to do after being drafted and has been focusing on his run defense even harder.

“Coming in, that’s what I wanted to focus on [defending the run] because I had a lot of knocks saying ‘oh he can do pass but he can’t play the run,’ so I was focused on ‘if pass comes naturally to me, i’m going to go out there and continue what I do on pass but run… i need to put an emphasis on that so I can stop the run and show coaches that I’m more than one-dimensional and just stop the pass,’” Bass said. “So now I’m more focused on that at the same time I’m trying to work my pass rush too.”

Both Allen and Bass will be pleased when they watche tape from Tuesday’s practice and see a play in which Bass was able to shed his blocker and get to the running back for a simulated tackle at the line of scrimmage.

The 233rd-overall draft selection cites a change in on-field mentality as something that has surprised him with his play during training camp.

“Actually, these past couple of days I feel like my run defense is surprising me because usually more of a pass and then react to pass but now I’m more of a run, [then] react to pass,” Bass said.

Bass knows that he can’t abandon working on his pass rush while developing his rush defense as the NFL has a much higher level of play than that of which he played in college.

“Coming off the edge at this elite level is a lot different, I can tell you that, especially coming from a DII school,” Bass said. “I’ve been just trying to fine-tune my pass rush and get my technique down because you can’t just come off the edge any old way and get to the QB… there’s a lot involved.”

The good news for the young defensive end is that he has a group of defensive linemen around him with extensive knowledge and willing to teach.

“Lamarr Houston, starting off, that’s just a phenomenal guy – stopping the run, getting to the QB in pass. Real athletic. And Andre Carter, he’s a vet so he’s pretty much seen everything out there,” Bass said of his teammates. “And the rookies last year Jack and Christo, I get a lot of advice from them coming from their rookie season and getting accustomed. Pretty much anybody on our d line I can go to and just ask questions.”

After playing in front of small crowds in high school and at Missouri Western State, Bass looks forward getting in front of the Raider Nation at O.Co Coliseum.

“I can’t wait, man. I’ve been playing in front of 4,000, 5,000 my whole life,” Bass said. “I’m ready to see what a real crowd looks like.”

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 30, 2013

The Raiders returned to the practice field in Napa, Calif. for just one more day before their first scheduled day off on Wednesday.

With nearly one week down, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is pleased with what his team has been able to accomplish in camp so far.

"I think overall, it's been a good week," Allen said. "When you start training camp you're trying to develop a culture of the team. You're trying to develop a a foundation of what you want to be as a football team. I think we're playing a physical brand of football and we're working that way and we're going to continue to do that."

Another day on the field meant another day for the quarterback competition to take place. Flynn had a solid day going for him until he attempted a throw to tight end David Ausberry that was intercepted by safety Tyvon Branch for what would have been a 99-year return for a touchdown. A couple plays before, Flynn found Ausberry streaking down the middle for a big gain.

Pryor was able to lead his team down the field during his turn, finishing the drive off by keeping the ball and taking it into the end zone himself. Pryor has improved on the field but needs to become more consistent as he still has errant throws and some poor technique at times.

"I think it's kind of playing out the way I expected," Allen said of the quarterback competition. "I think Matt Flynn has been pretty consistent. Terrelle Pryor does some really nice things at times. I think he's improved as a football player and as a passer. As well as Tyler Wilson and Matt McGloin's made some plays. I think those guys are doing exactly what we want them to do: just keep competing and keep playing. Don't worry about the depth chart, just worry about getting yourself better."

Tight end David Ausberry was standout player for another practice, showing off his receiving ability on multiple occasions. The Raiders would like to find a reliable tight end heading into the regular season just as they did with Brandon Myers last training camp.

Linebacker Sio Moore was energetic from the very beginning of practice. Moore would had two consecutive plays in which he would have had the tackle of the ball carrier. A couple of plays later, the young linebacker made a nice stunt underneath and would have had the sack on Flynn. Moore did a little dance after the simulated sack.

The Raiders would love to have Moore assist in pass rushing duties as the team lacked a consistent pass rush last season.

The wide receivers built on Monday's practice by having a day with fairly limited drops once again after the drops plagued the receiving squad early on in camp.

Rookie running back Latavius Murray did not practice today but was seen carrying his helmet and pads after practice. Offensive lineman Alex Parsons, defensive tackle Stacy McGee and wide receiver Conner Vernon were unable to finish today's practice due to injury. With injuries building up on the team, the day off will be welcomed. That said, Allen hopes players stay studious.

"I hope they rest and recover their bodies but I hope they stay in the playbook and pay attention to what we're doing," Allen said. "I know we get off a day from practice but really in the National Football League, there are no days off."

An interesting note is the offense was wearing silver jerseys today as opposed to the white ones they were wearing for the first couple of days. Allen has preached "competition" and has used the silver jerseys as another incentive.

"We talk a lot about competition and we're going to compete," Allen said. "There will be practices throughout training camp where we put the [silver] jersey up for grabs. The side of the ball that competes the best, the side of the ball that wins [gets the jersey] - because at the end of the day, we're judged on winning and losing. We had a competition day the other day, the offense won the jersey and the defense is trying to get it back."

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 29, 2013

The Oakland Raiders put pads on the for the second-straight day, and in the beginning it looked as if rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden was going to get his first day of physical play as he stretched without the red “no-contact” jersey. As it turned out, Hayden was still required to wear the jersey as he put it on shortly after the team was done stretching.

There’s no question that Hayden himself appears ready take the jersey off and get back to playing physical football, but head coach Dennis Allen wants to take it easier with his young corner.

“He wants to go, he wants to go. I think that’s a great thing about him,” Allen said of the first-round draft pick. “That really speaks to the type of guys that we’re trying to bring in here: guys that love football; they want to practice.

“I’m excited about the fact that he’s ready. Mentally and physically, he’s ready. But we’re going to take a little bit more of a cautious side on that and make sure that he’s totally ready before we put him into contact drills.”

Hayden attempted to participate in a tackling drill on Sunday but was pulled by secondary coach Clayton Lopez just before his turn.

Coaches also had a new, but also familiar, face on the field for them for the first time on Monday: linebacker Omar Gaither.

Gaither originally joined the Raiders towards the end of last season and appeared in seven games, including four starts while disgruntled linebacker Rolando McClain remained off of the field.

With the injury to second-year linebacker Miles Burris, Allen felt it was necessary to get some more depth at the linebacker position.

He was a guy that we felt good about the way that he played for us last year, coming in towards the middle end of the year. At the end of the year, he started some games for us.

“I think his versatility is good for us. He spent a lot of time at Mike linebacker and that’s where we played him today and that’s where we’ll start him out, but he’s a smart enough player and versatile enough player that he can play a couple of positions for us.”

It didn’t take long for Gaither to get thrown right back into the mix as he took plenty of snaps at the middle linebacker position. It also didn’t take long for him to get physical with his fellow teammates.

The linebackers were working on getting off the block and getting to the ball carrier when Gaither gave the ball carrier, who was fellow linebacker Kevin Burnett this time, a nice crack. Just like a typical linebacker’s mentality, Gaither welcomed getting back to the physicality of football.

“It’s just always good to get the pads on after so long. You know, you’re running around with jerseys and pants and all offsesaon you’re working out in the gym and that’s not really playing football, so it’s finally good to get out here.”

The quarterbacks were inconsistent on the field today, missing their mark on numerous occasions. Starting quarterback Matt Flynn threw a couple of balls low while Terrelle Pryor overthrew his target.

On one occasion, Flynn hit second-year wide receiver Juron Criner but the ball was low and Criner had to dive for it, not allowing any run after the catch. Criner had beaten Hayden on a short curl route.

Flynn did later have a good session in the red zone finding his tight ends Richard Gordon and David Ausberry for touchdown passes.

Pryor overthrew one receiver and should have been intercepted by safety Usama Young, but he let the ball hit the ground. Pryor then had wide receiver Brice Butler wide open deep down the field but he overthrew him as well.

Though Pryor was able to bounce back during the last drills of practice to find tight end David Ausberry in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

All of the quarterbacks had their ups and downs today and will need to become more consistent on the field.

After struggling with drops for the first couple of practices, Oakland’s wide receivers had a better day holding on to the football. Quarterback-turned-wide receiver Greg Jenkins has been one of the players that has struggled with drops at times, but that was not the case on Monday. Jenkins made a couple of nice catches in the end zone towards the end of practice, but he will need to become more consistent.

After losing wide receiver Jacoby Ford to injury yesterday, the Raiders lost four more players on Monday. Offensive lineman Lucas Nix, nose tackle Johnny Jones, defensive tackle Vance Walker, and defensive lineman Brandon Bair were unable to finish practice.

“At the end of the day, it’s really the normal bumps and bruises that you get in training camp and we’ll see how long it takes them to get back,” Allen said of the injuries. “It’s day 2 in pads, so some of those things you’ve got to be able to deal with. And it’s a next-man-up philosophy; get the next man ready.”

The Raiders return to the practice field on Tuesday at 9:20 a.m.

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 28, 2013

The Raiders returned to the practice field for day three of training camp, but this time wearing pads for the first time of camp.

“Finally we didn’t have to let off the gas and we could just go how we wanted. It felt pretty good,” rookie defensive tackle Stacy McGee said.

Cornerback Mike Jenkins was able to return from yesterday’s injury but replacing him was wide receiver Jacoby Ford. Ford was unable to finish Sunday’s practice but his injury is not believed to be serious, according to head coach Dennis Allen.

The Raiders wide receivers continued to have difficulty hauling in the ball and completing passes as their were numerous drops once again. The drops came from unlikely sources for much of practice as fullback Marcel Reece dropped a couple, as well as Ford before he left with his undisclosed injury. One of the passes Ford dropped was a perfectly placed ball by Terrelle Pryor that would have gone for a touchdown.

“It was better today than it was yesterday,” Allen said after practice. “It’s going to be a continual process and really, at the end of the day what it comes down to is concentration. Focus in on the football; make the plays when you get the opportunity. That’s what players in the National Football League do.”

One wide receiver that has continued to impress is second-year wide receiver Rod Streater. Streater made a handful of nice catches including one in which he elevated above Jenkins on the sideline and managing to get his toes inbounds.

The young wide receiver has impressed his head coach with his play on the field so far.

“I think he’s a little more confident,” Allen said of his young wide receiver. “I think he’s got a little bit better understanding of how the NFL game is played. He’s playing a little bit more physical and that’s one of the qualities we like about him. He’s improved his route running. And again like I talked about before: you’ve got a guy that’s got some talent and the guy works extremely hard, he’s going to continue to get better.”

Though the team was in pads, rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden was still wearing his red “no contact” jersey. Hayden did participate in most drills but when the defensive backs were working on tackling, Hayden was pulled out of line by secondary coach Clayton Lopez pulled him out and didn’t allow him to participate.

Hayden made some nice plays when he was on the field. In a one-on-one drill, Hayden lost a step to wide receiver Travionte Session on a double move but was able to recover nicely and use his hands to knock the ball down to the grass before Session could secure it. Hayden has used his hands on multiple occasions to knock the ball out already.

Cornerback Taiwan Jones, who has been converted from running back, made a cle of nice plays during today’s practice. Jones was able to jump up and intercept a poorly thrown pass from Matt McGloin. Jones also held his ground during a blocking drill pushing his defender back on one occasion. Jones’ blocking ability has been a problem for him in the past.

The quarterbacks once again were able to limit turnovers for the most part, though safety Charles Woodson did almost make a nice one-handed interception on a ball from starting quarterback Matt Flynn to Streater.

Pryor continues to throw a consisten deep ball but did have a couple of balls batted down on shorter attempts. Pryor has had a problem of getting balls batted down throughout the offseason. One play of note for the third-year quarterback was a pass to wide receiver Juron Criner over the middle where he had to put some touch on the ball to get it over linebacker Keenan Clayton’s reach. Such types of throws have often been difficult for Pryor.

Rookie Tyler Wilson did throw an interception during drills where he needed to put more distance on the ball, but then bounced back nicely with the long pass to Streater that was right on the money.

One competition that will continue throughout camp is for the starting tight end position. Third-year man David Ausberry has had a solid camp so far but knows he needs to continue to work hard if he wants to get the nod come opening day.

“You’ve got to be prepared and you’ve got to be willing to do whatever they ask of you and play to the best of your ability. That’s the only thing you can do,” Ausberry said of his mentality coming into camp with an open competition.

Defensive end David Bass had a solid practice while getting around the third-string offensive linemen and applying pressure on the quarterback. Bass got to Wilson two times in a row for what would have been a sack and then forcing Wilson to throw the ball down.

Fans in attendance also were graced with the first scuffle between players of this year’s camp. Players and coaches didn’t say who it was, but acknowledged that it did occur and it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“It happens. It’s football, okay. It’s football,” Allen said of the scrum. “At the end of the day we’ve got to understand that we can’t hurt our team. We need everybody out there, but you’ve got to practice football and you’ve practice it tough; you have to practice it physical. You’re never going to be able to run the ball if you don’t come off the ball and try to knock the heck out of people, so that’s what we did. First day of practice you get pads on, everybody’s a little jacked up. It got a little fiesty in there, but you know what, that’s alright.”

Practice resumes tomorrow starting at 2:50 p.m

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 27, 2013

The Raiders continued their training camp practices on Saturday, again without pads due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that requires a two-day “acclimation” period for teams beginning camp.

Offensive tackle Menelik Watson, linebacker Miles Burris and defensive tackle Pat Sims remained out of practice and a few more joined them by the end of Saturday’s practice. Wide receiver Greg Jenkins and linebackers Kaluka Maiava, Billy Boyko and Sio Moore all left practice early with undisclosed injuries. Head coach Dennis Allen does not believe the injuries to be serious.

Roughly 1,000 fans joined the fun as the team hosted season ticket holders to watch practice from the sideline bleachers.

Allen was pleased with the performance from his team on just the second day of training camp, but not surprisingly, he still knows that there’s a lot of work to do.

“I thought the execution was better, but I still think we’ve got to catch the ball better,” Allen said. “We had way too many drops today, and that’s something we’ve got to continue to improve on. ”

Though the receivers may have had a rough day hauling in the passes, Allen saw an improvement in his quarterbacks.

“I thought our quarterbacks were a lot more crisp. I thought they did an outstanding job,” Allen said after practice.

Quarterback Matt Flynn had a solid day by not throwing any interceptions, though a pass to fullback Marcel Reece was almost picked by safety Tyvon Branch, who played the ball perfectly. Flynn’s play has impressed his new head coach thus far.

“I’ve been very impressed with Matt Flynn,” Allen said of his starting quarterback. “I’ve been impressed with his demeanor. He’s made some nice throws; some nice reads. I think he’s done a nice job with the first offense.”

Terrelle Pryor had another good day and kept the ball out of the defense’s hands while throwing nice deep passes. Though there was only defender on the field, Pryor put together back-to-back deep touchdown passes – the first to Denarius Moore and the second to Jacoby Ford.

Pryor has looked comfortable with deep balls during the two days of camp but it is the short and intermediate routes that Pryor has been known to struggle with his footwork.

Rookie Tyler Wilson was able to bounce back from a tough first day by making solid reads and also keeping the ball out of the defense’s hands. Wilson certainly does have a rocket arm and showed it off with a laser across the middle that hit his wide receiver right in stride.

Flynn believes that the chemistry and timing with his offense is not quite there, but he sees the potential for it to be explosive.

“I think it’s coming. It’s not there yet, but one thing I do know is that we have a very talented offense,” Flynn said of his offense. “Very talented – we have a lot of guys out there that can make plays; run routes. Now, it’s all about getting all of that to come together.”

One key piece of talent that Flynn will need to remain healthy is wide receiver Jacoby Ford, and Flynn knows how dangerous he can be if he’s healthy.

“Jacoby is explosive, fast and extremely talented and he’s a weapon, when healthy, that we’ve got to find a way to utilize, in whatever way we can,” Flynn said of his oft-injured wide receiver. “Whether it’s running routes, handoffs, whatever. We’ve got to find a way to utilize that speed and his quickness.”

Overall, though it’s just the second day of camp, Allen has been pleased with the performance of his team so early in training camp and how they’ve reacted to the challenge.

“At the end of the day we’re trying to create as much competition as we can on this football team and our guys are responding and they’re competing.”

Some notes from today’s practice:

• Today was apparently wide receiver Jacoby Ford’s birthday. The Raider Nation members in attendance serenaded him with a “beautiful” rendition of “Happy Birthday” on multiple occasions.
• Quarterback turned wide receiver Greg Jenkins had two balls clank off his hands and the crowd asked him to do push-ups, he obliged, though I believe the wide receivers do this every time they drop the ball. He hauled in the next pass thrown his way, with the crowd applauding him.
• The tight end competition is one that will likely be going for most of camp. David Ausberry made a nice juggling catch on the sideline after originally hauling in the pass but having safety Tyvon Branch poke it away. Ausberry’s persistence paid off as he kept with the play and hauled in the juggled ball.
• Al Saunders is one fun coach to watch. His intensity is remarkable. Anytime a tight end makes a play, he is the first one in their ear screaming and congratulating them. Today, Ausberry made a nice touchdown catch and Saunders quickly got in his ear saying “That’s how you play football! I see you getting better everyday!” He said something similar when Nick Kasa made a nice diving catch in front of Tyvon Branch.

The Raiders put on the pads for the first time on Sunday, with practice supposed to start at 9:20 a.m. Hold on Raider Nation, it’s about to get even more fun.

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 26, 2013

The Raiders returned to Napa, Calif. and participated in their first day of practice on Friday.

Those not participating were linebacker Miles Burris, defensive tackle Pat Sims and rookie offensive tackle Menelik Watson. Burris is still recovering from knee injury and Sims and Watson have an undisclosed injury that head coach Dennis Allen did not want to discuss.

“Well when they’re ready to roll, they’ll be back out there practicing,” Allen said of Watson and Sims.

Allen thought that his team did a good job jumping back into practice after having roughly a month off between the mandatory mini-camp and the beginning of training camp.

“We’re excited about being out here. We’re excited about the first day of training camp. I thought, for the first practice, I was pleased with what we were able to get done today. Obviously, it’s the first step in a long journey and we’ve got a lot of progress we’ve got to make and we’ve got a short time to get it done.”

One player that was good to see back on the field was rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden, who missed most of the offseason workouts after having surgery to remove scar tissue in his abdomen from his original nearly fatal injury suffered last fall.

Hayden was listed on the Non-football injury list last night as a precaution, according to Allen. Hayden was forced to wear a red non-contact jersey by coaches but did participate in all drills. Allen intends to take a slower pace with incorporating Hayden back into the defense.

“We want to work him back into football condition,” Allen said of his young cornerback. “We’re going to limit some contact drills we do with him and really bring him along, I don’t know if I’d say slowly, but we’re not just going to throw him into the fire.”

Despite being in a red jersey, Hayden was just grateful to be back out on the field and working with his teammates.

“I’m just happy to even be out there. If I’ve gotta have a red jersey on, then that’s what it is. I’m cool with it, and happy,” Hayden said.

The start of training camp also marked the first time veteran defensive back Charles Woodson returned to the Raiders training camp facility.

“Coming back up to Napa, that part of it felt good,” Woodson said. “Walking out here to practice today, you know, it was, again, it was a familiar feeling, having been here a long time the first time around. I was just anxious to get out there and run around on the field today and have a little fun.”

For rookie linebacker Sio Moore, it was a little different of a feeling as he enters his first training camp as an NFL player. Moore was just happy to be back on the field after an offseason that seemed longer than a month.

“It felt long, to tell you the honest truth,” Moore said. “It felt good to be able to get football back on under my wings and get back out there with the guys and just working and seeing where I’m at, whether it be mentally or physically. And seeing what I’ve got to improve on from a fundamental aspect being that we’re not in pads, so it was a good day.”

Though they returned to the field, the players are excited to have the two “acclimation” days over so they can get the pads on and start hitting.

“I’m excited man, because then you get to play football,” Moore said. “I mean, right now we’re playing football but from a fundamental standpoint. In a couple of days, we’re going to be going at it the right way and we’ll be really able to work and being able to simulate true game-like situations because we’re going to have the pads on. It’s exciting.”

The players should appear in pads for the first day starting on Sunday.

A couple of plays and situations to note:

• Tyler Wilson had a rough first day of training camp, throwing three interceptions… in a span of four throws. He did have some nice completions as well, but he will definitely need to improve.
• Pryor had a series of three throws where he completed passes deep down the sidelines three times in a row. The first one was down the left sideline to Andre Holmes, the second down the right sideline to Travionte Sessions and the final one down the left sideline to Juron Criner. These three passes were some of the best ones I have seen from Pryor this offseason. It will be interesting to see if he can progress throughout training camp.
• Linebacker Kaluka Maiava was back on the field after his offseason incident. Maiava was supposed to have court yesterday in Maui.
• Another interesting thing of note was that D.J. Hayden was back with the punt returners hauling punts. Not sure how much they’re really looking into him being a punt returner, but don’t know if I’ve ever seen a red jersey in back hauling in punts.
• Rookie running back Latavius Murray really impresses me, as he has this entire offseason. He used some awesome footwork today to make a nice cut and explode through the hole.
• This team really needs to find a consistent tight end. None of them really stuck out today.
• Wide receiver Josh Cribbs was back on the field today. The first time we have seen him participating in practice since he joined the Silver & Black.

The Raiders return back on the field tomorrow with practice beginning at 1:50 p.m.

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 25, 2013

The Raiders announced that first-round draft selection D.J. Hayden and the team’s front office have agreed to terms on Thursday.

The signing marks the tenth and final draft pick to sign their rookie deal with the Raiders. The team will now have all rookies in camp in time.

Hayden was taken 12th overall by the Raiders in April’s draft after playing a shortened season last year at the University of Houston after a freak accident during practice ruptured a large vein just below his heart.

The 23-year-old cornerback was able to attend the first couple of offseason workouts after being medically cleared but then had to have surgery to remove scar tissue in his abdomen. The surgery forced Hayden to miss the rest of the offseason workouts, but head coach Dennis Allen believed that he would be ready to return to the field for training camp.

It remains to be seen if Hayden will be ready when the team takes the field for their first practice on Friday, but he did tweet yesterday “I’m good folks.”

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 24, 2013

The Raiders announced that they have signed second-round draft pick Menelik Watson on Wednesday, the day the team arrived in Napa, Calif. for this year's training camp.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive tackle was selected by the 42nd overall in April after playing one year at Florida State. Watson transferred to FSU from Saddleback Junior College in Southern California. Watson originally moved to the United States from Manchester, England to play college basketball at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Watson played 13 games for the Seminoles (12 starts) and earned honorable mentions All-ACC Honors after allowing just one sack. In his one year at Saddleback, he garnered second team All-Southern California Football Association honors.

He has little experience on the football field but his big frame and athleticism gives him plenty of potential to grow.

The big, athletic tackle is believed to have a chance at earning the starting right tackle position, the spot Khalif Barnes currently occupies. 

The signing leaves just one rookie undrafted just two days before practices start: cornerback and twelfth-overall selection D.J. Hayden.

The team has meetings on Thursday and get on the practice field for the first training camp practice on Friday. 

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 23, 2013


he Raiders announced that they have signed quarterback Tyler Wilson to his rookie contract on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound quarterback was selected in the fourth round (112th overall) by the Oakland Raiders back in April after playing in 37 games (24 starts) in his four years at the University of Arkansas.

During his tenure at Arkansas, Wilson set program highs with 7,765 carer passing yards on 593 completions. He also came just the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for more than 50 touchdowns with his 52 scoring passes.

Wilson had a stellar junior year at Arkansas, throwing for 3,368 yards and 24 touchdowns – both program records – while being the first Arkansas quarterback to earn first-team All-SEC honors.

Many Raiders fans hope that Wilson will be able to overtake Matt Flynn in training camp for the starting position. That remains to be seen as camp opens up with their first practice on Friday.

The Raiders have now signed eight of their 10 draft picks. The remaining two rookies that have not yet been signed to their contracts are cornerback D.J. Hayden (12th overall) and offensive tackle Menelik Watson (42nd overall).

Originally published on SBReport.net on July 10, 2013

27-year-old Oakland Raiders linebacker Kaluka Maiava has been charged with assaulting two men at a bar in his home state of Hawaii, according to the Associated Press.

According to the report, Maiava and his brother Ilima are being charged with misdemeanor assault, along with criminal property damage for their part in a brawl that took place at a Maui bar on March 17. Interestingly enough, the name of the bar is apparently "Life's a Beach".

Maiava signed a three-year, $6 million contract just four days before the incident. Maiava spent his first four seasons with the Cleveland Browns before signing with the Raiders as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

There's no question that Raider Nation would appreciate their players, especially linebackers, to stay out of the news for the wrong reasons after dealing with former Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain's well-documented incidents.

USA Today is reporting that the two Maiava brothers are set to be arraigned on July 25, the day the Raiders are expected to report in Napa, Calif. for training camp. Their first practice is the next day.