The Oakland Raiders knew that they were taking a risk when they drafted D.J. Hayden with the 12th pick after he dealt with a heart issue at Houston and after surgery the cornerback is now out of the hospital.
According to ESPN.com, Hayden underwent abdominal surgery to deal with scar tissue and after staying in the hospital recovering he is now out and resting at home. The team said that while they can't fully rule out that the surgery was related to his heart issue, they feel that he will be ready for the season and that the heart won't be an issue going forward. Hayden originally tore a blood vessel after a violent hit in practice and almost died from it while playing at Houston.
The Raiders loved Hayden as a pick and took a risk by trading back with the Miami Dolphins and still was able to snag him with the 12th overall pick. The original procedure came after he needed repair a tear of the inferior vena cava, the large vein that carries blood from the lower half of the body to the heart and he was saved after doctors performed surgery on him. Raiders doctors said there were no issues when he was drafted and the team does not see this latest surgery as a serious issue.
Hayden will help the Raiders in the secondary and that is one area where they are expected to improve greatly from last year, as they signed Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter in free agency and now have depth at the position. Hayden now doesn't have to be pushed into a starting role after being drafted at 12 and the two veterans can start taking the bulk of the snaps if he needs more time to recover from his injury.
The team cut Michael Huff earlier in the offseason, but they replaced one former high draft pick with another after signing Charles Woodson and he is expected to play a major role on defense. Woodson is coming off of an injury plagued year with the Packers and despite his age he still feels that he can play at a high level. He originally looked like he would sign with the Broncos, but instead he ended up back with his old team in the Raiders.
Once Hayden returns he likely will get one of the starting spots, while Porter and Jenkins will fill in the other roles. Woodson and Porter have started working out a deal for his old number 24 and the addition of all those names will be a big upgrade for a Raiders team that was middle of the pack on pass defense and were without major starting corners at one point this offseason. Based on how much money he had to work with, Reggie McKenzie has done a fine job rebuilding the team and after trading for Matt Flynn the Raiders are expected to improve from their 4-12 record.
