Here is the updated list of Raider private workouts and individual pro day attendance, including each player’s measurables, statistics, and projected round drafted. I will be updating this as additional reports are released.
Chris Carter, DE/OLB, Fresno State – Has decent size (6-2, 240) and speed (4.73 40). A defensive end who looks to make it as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Considered slightly undersized to play 4-3 DE in the NFL. Will need some work in dropping into coverage. Projected as a round 5 pick.
Chris Culliver, CB/S, South Carolina – Private workout with Raiders while they were in South Carolina. He is a six-foot 200-pound free safety who also started seven games of his senior season at cornerback. Runs a 4.36 forty-yard dash with is all the more impressive with his bulk. This explains why he is the Gamecocks’ all-time kick return leader with 2,476 yards. He earned second team All-SEC honors as a junior in 2009. Culliver is considered a Round 4 prospect.
Chris Hairston, OL, Clemson – Private workout with Raiders while they were in South Carolina. He was a three year starter at left tackle for the Tigers. He made the All-ACC team twice. He is considered a very cerebral player with a massive frame (6-6, 323 lbs) and quick feet but poor technique. Hairston had 29 pancake blocks last year and led Clemson with 754 snaps played in twelve games. He is projected as a round 5-6 prospect.
Keanemana Silva, S, Hawaii – Hawaii Pro Day attended by Hue Jackson in Carson, California, March 31. In front of Jackson, Silva ran a 4.43 40 yard dash and had a 42-inch vertical leap and 10’6″ broad jump. He is coming off an eight interception season in 2010, which earned him first team All-WAC honors and Sports Illustrated honorable mention All-American. He set a school record with fourteen career interceptions in addition to 159 tackles as a two year starter for Hawaii. Silva is a round 6-7 prospect.
Rob Housler, TE, Florida Atlantic – Had a private workout for the Raiders. He is a tremendous athlete at the tight end position and is an H-back type player. He is projected as a round 4 pick.
Jared Jenkins, WR, Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Had a private workout with the Raiders. An all-conference wideout his final three college seasons. He is a big, tall receiver at 6-4, 225. Ran a 4.47 in the 40 which is great for a player of his size. Jenkins is looking like a round 6 or 7 prospect.
Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada – Raiders attended his pro day and have a private workout scheduled April 12. A local product from Turlock, he has a strong arm, albeit not elite, and can make plays happen with his feet. Kaepernick has had a great deal of success in his four years at Nevada, taking the Wolfpack to a bowl game all four seasons he was there. He was named Offensive MVP and first team All-WAC in 2008 and 2010. He also impressed at the 2011 Senior Bowl.
Curtis Marsh, CB, Utah State – Private workout with Raiders. Is very fast (4.42, 40) for his size (6-1, 197). A second generation player as his father, Curtis Marsh, Sr, played in the NFL. He has started less than two seasons at corner after two seasons at running back. He still earned second team All-WAC last season with 45 tackles, 13 passes defended, and 2 interceptions. He is raw at the position but has great potential. He also has value in the return game. Marsh is considered a round 4 pick.
Phillip Tanner, RB, Middle Tennessee State – Attended pro day. Not an especially fast running back, and didn’t have especially great stats last season. He is considered a low round 7 pick if drafted at all.
Sidney Tarver, OLB, Tennessee State – Attended pro day. He has the height (6-3, 236) and speed (4.67 40) of an outside linebacker. Overall, he had a great pro day in front of Raider scouts. Tarver had a 4.24 20-yard shuttle, a 7.30 L-drill, and an 11.7 60-yard shuttle, excelling in his linebacker drills. Last season, he started every game and had 62 tackles, 7 1/2 for losses, 3 1/2 sacks, a pass deflection, and two quarterback hurrries. He lined up at both 4-3 outside linebacker and at 4-3 defensive end. His fine pro day may just get him drafted.
Byron Bell, OG, New Mexico – Raiders attended his pro day. A hulk of a man at 6-5, 337 lbs. He played left tackle in college but many project him as a guard at the NFL level. Some think he could be a sleeper but is considered a round 7 pick extensively.
Marc Schiechl, DE/OLB, Colorado School of Mines – Private workout 3/31. 6-2, 252. 4.67. D2 all-time sack leader (46). Cactus Bowl defensive player of the game with leading 8 tackles and 2 sacks. Gene Upshaw award runner-up.
Bryant Browning, OG, Ohio State – Private workout scheduled. Was an All-Big10 Honorable Mention as a junior in 2009. Suffered a hamstring injury that kept him from working out fully at the Ohio State pro day. Will hope to show some skills and potential in private workouts. Considered a round 7 pick at best.
Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado – Private workout scheduled. Skills wise, Smith has been argued as the best corner prospect in this draft. But his character keeps him out of the top corner discussion. He tested positive for drugs in 2007 and was twice arrested as a minor in possession of alcohol. He is a dominating cover corner and his size (6-2, 205) and speed (4.45, 40) have him compared to Nnamdi Asomugha. He compares himself to Nnamdi and goes as far as to say he has better hands than the All Pro corner. There is no question why the Raiders would be interested because Smith is a fantastic talent. The first 47 teams picking would have to be scared off by his arrest record and his character for him to fall that far.
Marcus Gilchrist, CB/S, Clemson– Rod Woodson held a private workout. He has the ability to play both corner and safety. He has also been praised for his football intelligence as well. He was among the top cornerbacks at the combine in the 40 yard dash at 4.45, second among corners in the vertical leap at 38.5 inches, and second among corners with 26 reps on the 225 lb bench press. He posted a 10-6 in the broad jump at his pro day which would have put him among the top corners at the combine. He is built more like a strong safety at 5-9, 192 lbs but with great speed for his weight. Last season he had 62 tackles, 10 passes defended and one interception. His junior season in 2009, he had a whopping 107 tackles to go along with 6 passes defended. As a senior he was ACC Honorable Mention at kick returner and also returned punts as well.
Demarcus Van Dyke, CB, Miami – Private workout April 14. Fastest player at combine with 4.28 40. Not much else is that impressive about him, but that 40 time is certainly enough to get Al Davis’ attention. Van Dyke doesn’t have great tape as he started just 21 games in four seasons for Miami, including just three as a senior. He was relegated to nickel corner for most of his senior season. He is a slight 6-0, 174 lbs which is another of his detractors.
Brandon Harris, CB, Miami– Private workout April 14. He started all 13 games as a junior last season as well as 32 starts over 39 games at Miami. He is known for being a solid man cover corner throughout his career at Miami and was a Thorpe award semifinalist in both his Sophomore and Junior campaigns. Over his final two seasons, he tallied 96 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions and an ACC leading 25 passes defended. Those numbers had him named to the All-ACC first team in 2009 and second team in 2010.
Ryan Hill, CB, Miami– Private workout April 14. Hill has great upside as a player who came to Miami as a wide receiver and was switched to corner as a Junior. He tore a muscle in his shoulder that had him out the entire 2009 season but when he was back healthy, he supplanted DeMarcus Van Dyke as the starter. He had a nice season in 2010 with 51 tackles, 7 passes defended, and 3 interceptions. At this point he is considered a round three prospect, possibly lower.
Taiwan Jones, RB, Eastern Washington– The Raiders attended his pro day along with 26 other NFL teams. He ran a sizzling 4.27 40 yard dash which would have been the best 40 time at the 2011 scouting combine. It was reported that the Raiders had scheduled him for a private workout, a report that was later proven false. He was the only FCS prospect this season to leave school early to enter the NFL draft. If you turn on the tape, you can see why. He ran for an average of 145 yards a game and over seven yards per carry last season with 17 touchdowns. Though he was facing lesser talent, his talents are intriguing just the same. He is being compared to Tennessee RB Chris Johnson with his speed and quickness. Jones could go as high as round 3 or 4 and the Raiders could be in play.
Nic Grigsby, RB/DB, Arizona– Scheduled for private workout. Grigsby’s yet to prove he has the durability to play in the NFL, as he missed 17 of Arizona’s 26 games over the course of his last two seasons. But the Raiders see him playing on the other side of the ball. He received a call from Rod Woodson asking Grigsby to work out on Monday at defensive back. “He called me and was like, ‘Look Nic, we like your size, your speed and your ability to play and be an athlete and we want to see if we can put you on either side of the ball,'” Grigsby said on Sunday. Grigsby played defensive back all throughout high school and said he was even an emergency option for head coach Mike Stoops at Arizona. Grigsby said he’s open to switching to defense. He is a project to be certain and if the Raiders take him, it would likely be with their round 7 compensatory pick.
Richard Gordon, TE, Miami– Private workout with team. Gordon doesn’t have a lot of tape as a receiver as he only caught 10 total passes in his college career. His lack of production was mostly due to a shoulder injury that had him out the entirety of the 2009 season. He started 7 games as a senior, catching seven passes. Mostly he is a blocking tight end with some limited potential as a receiver. He would be a round 7 pick if drafted at all.
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