DJ Hayden was drafted #12 overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2013 NFL Draft. He has an amazing recovery story attached to his career, as he suffered a tear of his inferior vena cava during what seemed to be a routine collision at practice his senior year of college. That injury has about a 95% fatality rate, but Hayden miraculously survived and was able to recover in time to make Houston’s Pro Day. Coming out of school, Hayden was considered slightly undersized but excellent in man coverage. However, his play at the NFL level hasn’t lived up to his draft status. Hayden was the 2nd CB off the board, after Dee Milliner, but he was also taken before Desmond Trufant and Xavier Rhodes, who have turned out to be blossoming stars at the position. Heading into his third year, Hayden will need to show improvement in his game to validate his draft spot. In the game against the Vikings, he showed a number of areas where he still needs work.
To begin, I’d like to offer a few caveats to my analysis of Hayden. First of all, the NFL doesn’t release the All-22 tape of preseason games. This is really frustrating, particularly when you’re trying to watch CBs or WRs, because half of plays those guys don’t even stay on the screen.… Article continues here