NFL draft: Linebackers, offensive linemen among Raiders' Day 3 picks

OAKLAND - Addressing the media Saturday afternoon after a sprawling and exhausting three-day NFL draft, the Raiders’ Jack Del Rio became the first head coach in the modern history of the league to admit that his team didn’t get every single player it targeted.

“I think if you had just given us the first nine players in the draft, we would have been fine. Just call it a day,” Del Rio said. “Just doesn’t work that way.”

No, it doesn’t. The democratic nature of the NFL means that after the recognized superstars leave the board in the top 10, and the can’t-miss starters flesh out Round 1, and the rest of college football’s upper crust fills rounds 2 and 3, all 32 teams remain in the hunt for potential contributors.

Welcome to Day 3, when no player comes without flaws.

As Del Rio said, “Obviously, if you’re still involved down low like that, there is a reason that you slid down the board.”

The thing is, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has found some gems on Day 3 during his three-plus years here, including running back Latavius Murray and tight end Mychal Rivera (both sixth round, 2013). Perhaps that’s why the Raiders traded down twice in the fourth round Saturday, picking up extra choices in the fifth and seventh.

Of course, McKenzie’s Day 3 list also contains the quickly forgotten, like quarterback Tyler Wilson (fourth round, 2013) and linebacker Nathan Stupar (seventh round, 2012).

It will take a few months, or maybe even a couple years, to figure out which column they’ll fall under, but joining the Raiders on Saturday were Miami guard Jon Feliciano (fourth round), Kansas linebacker Ben Heeney (fifth), Florida linebacker Neiron Ball (fifth), Virginia linebacker/defensive end Max Valles (sixth), and a trio of seventh-rounders in Tennessee State offensive tackle Anthony Morris, Florida wide receiver Andre Debose and Kansas cornerback Dexter McDonald.

And yes, if that sounds like a lot of players from the state of Florida, it was a good draft for Southeast area scout and former fullback Zack Crockett.

“Zack was a popular scout up there,” Del Rio said of the Raiders’ draft room.

As a group, the newest Raiders bring varying amounts of size, speed and productivity. They also carry some red flags.

Like medical issues:

Ball missed several games last fall with a knee injury and had microfracture surgery after the season - which is nothing compared to 2011, when he missed the entire season after undergoing brain surgery to relieve arteriovascular malformation condition, in which the brain’s blood vessels get tangled and rupture. Debose, meanwhile, had knee injuries in both high school and college.

Like character issues:

Debose was involved in an altercation a year ago and was pushed through a window; he was unhurt, but Gainesville police responded when two other men involved in the dispute wound up firing guns. Debose did not travel with the Gators to the Birmingham Bowl in December, which he termed a “mutual decision” on a conference call with Bay Area reporters.

And like uncomplimentary scouting reports:

The profiles on NFL.com called Feliciano “pear-shaped with short arms,” said Heeney “does not look the part of an NFL linebacker,” and explained that McDonald “has had pass interference problems over the last two seasons” because he is “slow to track downfield throws.”

Del Rio acknowledged the shortcomings and did not seem overly bothered by them. NFL teams aren’t looking for immediate starters on Day 3. They’re content to find players they can develop over time, and who might fill core special-teams roles in the meantime. The three linebackers - Heeney, Bell and Valles - are great candidates for the latter, and Debose made his mark at Florida as a kick returner.

There are stories in the late rounds, too.

Consider Ball. Both of his parents died before he reached 10 - his mom had a heart attack when he was 6, his father was claimed by cancer when Ball was 9. And his brother, Neland, was a sophomore defensive end at Georgia when a serious car accident ended his football career.

Feliciano’s tale might be even more dramatic. Born with a foot deformity, for two years he wore braces on his lower legs. His mother called them “magic shoes,” trying to soften the indignity. Feliciano’s younger brother had more serious issues; he was frequently shadowed by a feeding tube and a heart monitor. At one point, the family’s house was condemned. They continued to live there, without electricity or water. Then Feliciano’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She recovered. She was diagnosed again.

Almost a year ago, Feliciano became the first person in his family to graduate from college. Saturday, he became an NFL player.

In their way, Feliciano and Bell could be poster boys for Day 3. Overcoming almost inconceivable odds, they have been rewarded with all they’ve ever asked for - a chance to make an NFL roster.

“I think one of the things we covet is guys that have grit, guys that have a chip on their shoulder, something to prove,” Del Rio said. “There is some purpose to them and why they go about things and why they attack things and all of that.”

Proving that “something” begins Friday when the Raiders host a rookie camp.