Oakland Raiders Don’t Need DJ Hayden To Be A “Star”

When the Oakland Raiders selected cornerback D.J. Hayden with the twelfth overall pick in the 2013 draft, it raised more than a few eyebrows. And given the fact that over the course of his first two seasons in the NFL, Hayden has made just ten starts overall, those eyebrows haven’t yet come down. Suffice it to say, at this point, Hayden has done nothing to justify the naturally lofty expectations that come with being such a high pick.

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And while not the optimal outcome the organization had wanted or anticipated when they drafted him, that he isn’t mentioned among the NFL elites at his position at this point, surprisingly isn’t the end of the world either.

Per Adam Caplan recently, an anoymous source within the Raiders’ organization has said that Hayden will, “never be a star.”

Though it might be a little early to judge whether or not Hayden can actually turn his career around and be the “star” some think him incapable of, what Oakland actually needs right now is for him to be consistent and continue growing.

Oh yeah, and prove that he can stay healthy and on the field.

Hayden showed in the last half of 2014, that he has the ability to play the position and play it well. Though he was victimized on several long plays when he was on the field last year, Hayden also showed some flashes of the player the organization believed they were getting when they drafted him.

When he was on the field, he was faster, more physical and aggressive in going after the ball – and the receivers – than the Raiders have seen from him before. Though that aggressiveness did in fact, come back to bite him on more than one occasion, Hayden was often just a step or two away from making a huge play – an issue that the Raiders coaches are working with him to correct this offseason.

And being able to work through a full offseason with Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, former All Pro Marcus Robertson, and future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson will only help that development and help Hayden to take that next step.

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And thus far, head coach Jack Del Rio has been impressed with the results. Said Del Rio:

"“You see his feet and he’s got really good feet. He’s super quick. This is a hard-working football team. Coming in, I think thus far we, as a staff, have talked about how this group has been eager and working hard. That’s good. It’s a good place to start. Now it’s a matter of sustaining that kind of effort. It’s a matter of building the mentality that we want and things like that. I like the way DJ has approached his work thus far.”"

No, he’s not Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson, or Joe Haden, but Hayden has also had to overcome more adversity than those three combined. In his first two seasons in the league, he’s had to overcome a life threatening heart issue, surgery to clear out abdominal scar tissue, and a lingering foot injury that cost him half of the 2014 season.

Though some believe Hayden is injury prone and perhaps, too fragile to stay healthy and on the field, others believe that he’s had a few bad breaks and that he actually can play cornerback at a very high level in the NFL. Count Hayden himself among the latter group.

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In an interview that appeared on the Raiders’ team website, Hayden was quoted as saying:

"“Excellent. Everything is good. I’m just going to do what I have to do. In the past, some stuff has happened that I can’t control, but I’m focused on the future right now. I pray that nothing happens.”"

And it’s very likely that the Raiders’ organization is praying just as hard as Hayden that nothing else happens given that he’s expected to be one of the starting corners this season, and is expected to take his game to the next level.

When Reggie McKenzie let veterans Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown walk away as free agents this offseason, and penciled Hayden and fellow youngster Travis Carrie in as the starting corner tandem, it was clear that the expectations had been raised. It was clear that the organization was giving Hayden and ultimatum – it’s time to sink or swim.

It’s crystal clear that they were telling him that it’s time to move to the next level or time to move on.

This is a make or break year for Hayden. He’s either going to take that next step and become a viable NFL cornerback, or he’s likely going to be looking for employment elsewhere. He’s shown that he has the talent and he has the ability. Now he just needs to show that he has the ability to stay healthy and finally put all the pieces together.

The Raiders don’t need Hayden to be a superstar. They don’t need him to be Sherman, Haden, or Peterson. What they need is for him to stay healthy. What they need is for him to be consistent, to cut down on the mental errors, to be aggressive but not overplay his position.

What they need is for Hayden to stay within himself and be the cornerback they all know he can be. They need him to be good. They need him to be consistent. They don’t need him to be a star.

And they are counting on him to do just that.

Next: Raiders' 5 Toughest Games In 2015