Oakland Raiders: Worst First Round Draft Picks In Franchise History

D.J. Hayden (Twelfth Overall – 2013)

Taken out of the University of Houston with the twelfth overall pick of the 2013 draft, Hayden was a controversial selection from the word go. After sustaining a life threatening heart injury during practice of his senior year, there were many who doubted Hayden would be able to play football again. He proved his critics wrong on that count.

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McKenzie, operating his second draft as the Raiders’ general manager, used his first ever first round pick on Hayden – a move that left many baffled. Given his injury history as well as the fact that he hadn’t exactly been particularly noteworthy as a college player, most felt that taking Hayden at twelve was a reach.

Turns out, “they” were right.

Hayden, entering his fourth year with the Raiders, has never come close to living up to his billing as a first round pick. His first two seasons were marred by injury which limited him to just eighteen total games in which he made just ten starts. Over that span of two seasons, he accumulated 83 tackles and just two interceptions.

In his third season with the club, Hayden was finally healthy enough to play a sixteen game schedule that included thirteen starts. He recorded 70 tackles and just one interception, evnetually losing his starting spot to David Amerson, who’d been claimed off waivers after Washington released him.

Hayden’s tenure in Oakland has been marked by inconsistency, drawing a lot of penalties, and the penchant for giving up the big play. His play has been so poor, it’s completely overshadowed the occasional stellar play he’s made.

There are some who continue wanting to give Hayden the benefit of the doubt because he is still young. But he has yet to look capable of playing cornerback in the NFL at the level the league demands. And he certainly goes down as one of the biggest first round disappointments in franchise history.

Next: The 1999 Draft