Here's a link to last year's rookie reports. Now let's get to this year's...

1st round pick: cornerback D.J. Hayden, Houston

Strengths

-Good change of direction/fluid in the hips and with his back pedal

-Past two years at Houston he’s had six interceptions, with three stealthily scooted in for TD’s

-Has good speed (ran a 4.33 40-yard dash), which would’ve probably made Al soak one of those towels of his

-Will swiftly maneuver inside/outside the receiver for a reach around

-Excellent ball skills with superb instincts

-When he gets inside your hip pocket, he’ll pick your nose as an intimidation tactic

-Makes plays as a tackler

-Masterfully swipes & swoops the football out

Weaknesses

- Although fully cleared medically, Hayden nearly died in a collision during practice last year. But you should have seen other guy

-Some scouts say he’s not physical enough on the field, even though he literally almost took one for the team

-Not typical height or arm length

-Can sometimes get boxed out on run plays

-Has been known after games to ‘pop’ 5-hour energy drinks all over the locker room

Hayden immediately makes the Raiders' secondary better, adding great depth to nice looking secondary on paper. If he can come back from his freak injury and be the difference maker the Raiders expect him to be, then this is a really good pick. As long as he comes up with some turnovers in year one he’ll not have to be Superman right away to make this pick valid.

When the Raiders took Sio Moore with the 66^th overall pick in the 2013 draft, former Raiders player and Hall of Famer Willie Brown, who was announcing for the Raiders, gave the pick as “Sio Moore, linebacker, Connecticut.”

You can watch the video of the selection, here.

However, Moore is not just a linebacker. UConn, who boasted a strong defense in 2012, used him as a defensive end at times, too.  He is a very versatile player and Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver will be able to use that versatility in a number of different ways.

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie acknowledged that they will use Moore in a variety of positions.  When he was asked, right close after the draft ended, about the pass-rush needs, he said, “We think the third-round pick, Sio, can come off the edge a bit.”

Looking at this tape, it does appear that Moore can not only come off the edge but also can play either of the outside linebacker positions well.  Here is what the tape shows for the Raiders third-round selection.

Moore has decent but not great size. He also lacks top end speed which definitely limits him in coverage.

He is willing to engage with tight ends in coverage but he will not be able to hang with faster TE’s because he lacks the ability to match the better ends’ straight-line speed.

He also struggles in space to follow his man on complicated routes and so he ends up a few steps behind his man, more than enough space for a good QB to fit a pass.

He operates much better in space when he’s in a zone scheme because he’s very good at reading and reacting.  In fact, the ability to diagnose plays and put himself in a position to be a factor is one of his biggest strengths.

Our football culture today wants instant analysis and so we, as the media, cater to the desires of the readers and offer instant grades and breakdowns of each and every player drafted every year.

Working over the weekend for Bleacher Report, I also provided grades of each player the Raiders drafted and if you are interested in the instant analysis I provided you can check it out here.

However, after another day of reflection, listening to GM Reggie McKenzie speak about why he chose players and further studying up on the players, themselves, I wanted to re-do my analysis to account for some of the additional information and thoughts.

Round 1, trade with Miami from No. 3 overall to No. 12 overall:

Miami has been crowing about this trade ever since it happened and I can understand why. They moved up 9 positions and paid a paltry sum in exchange, only the 42nd overall pick along with their first-round selection at 12.

If Raiders GM McKenzie can be believed, however, the Raiders were going to take DJ Hayden at No. 3 overall had they not received any trade offers and so the Raiders still got their guy and were able to get a second-round selection as a bonus.

Additionally, this draft was not “top-heavy” meaning there weren’t many great players at the top spots and the two that were widely considered to be the best, OTs Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel went first and second, respectively.

One of the more amusing connections between the players that GM Reggie McKenzie has drafted in his first two years has been that almost half of the players drafted were born in foreign countries.

Last year's draft included two such players - England's Jack Crawford and and Angola's Christo Bilukidi.

The trend continued yesterday when both of Reggie McKenzie's day 2 picks were players born abroad.

The Raiders second-round selection, OT Menelik Watson, is also from England.  In fact he once played basketball opposite last year's Brit, Jack Crawford, an unlikely coincidence.

The Oakland Raiders took former Houston cornerback last night, using the No 12 overall selection to get him.

According to respected evaluator Greg Cosell, of NFL Films, that was a good move.

"I would make the argument that Hayden is the most physically gifted corner prospect in this draft class, with his impressive combination of sudden movement, change of direction, ability to effectively play both press man and off coverage zone, competitive and challenging playing personality and, as an added dimension, his willingness to support in the run game aggressively," Cosell said of Hayden in this must read article about cornerbacks in the NFL (finish this piece, first, then go back and read his).

In the piece referenced above, Cosell delves into what attributes make a good cornerback in the NFL these days.  He also talks about the importance of having a cornerback that can play in man to man coverage.

The basic thrust of his arguments are that a huge cornerback isn't necessarily the most desirable trait.  While that type of cornerback is better against some types of receivers, the most important attributes are "quick and light feet, smooth and fluid change of direction, the ability to plant and drive with burst from off coverage position, and the capability to turn and run with both short area acceleration and functional long speed to defend vertical routes."

He postulates that most cornerbacks with those traits are shorter and sleeker instead of the larger cornerbacks that many would see as the prototypical size.

We are now just 3 days away from the beginning of the 2013 draft so it seemed time to compile the months worth of information on who the Raiders have met with either at a pro day, a Combine interview or a private workout since the end of the 2012 season.

While most of these players will be simply "due-diligence" visits by the team, there's a strong possibility that at least a couple of the Raiders draft selections will come from this list:

Quarterback

Tyler Bray, Tennesse, 6'6" 232
EJ Manuel, Florida State 6'5" 237
Geno Smith, WVU, 6'2" 218

Runningback

Latavius Murray, Central Florida, 6'2" 223 lbs
Eddie Lacy, Alabama, 5'11" 231 lbs
Christine Michael, Texas A&M, 5'10" 220 lbs