The Raiders selected Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson with their fourth-round pick Saturday. A short time later, Wilson spoke with the Bay Area media via conference call. Here’s the entire transcript:

Q: What was your level of involvement and contact with the Raiders heading up to this?
Wilson : We had some contact, obviously, they were part of the Senior Bowl. I was on the other team. I was on the Detroit team, but definitely had some contact during the week there at the Senior Bowl and had a one-on-one interview with them a number of times during the week. I thought our connection was very, very good and I thought they were a team going into this that I thought was potentially very, very interesting and so it happened.

Q: How did difficult senior year prepare you for NFL career?
Wilson : Experience as far as my senior year?

Q: Yes, senior year, in terms of what you went through?
Wilson : You know, it as tough. It was a difficult situation. Obviously we were No. 5 in the country, a top five team in my junior season after a great year, went to the Cotton Bowl and you kind of go through a number of things, that test your character, test a lot about you as a football player, and I really love this game and I think that I’m going to be a better player because of it. You learn a lot during those kinds of years.

Q: Regrets about coming back for your senior year?
Wilson: Obviously, I think you, after things pan out you kind of look back and say, `Well, that wasn’t certainly business-wise maybe the smarter thing’ but I’m always, the way I approach it, I know everybody else looks at and probably questions my judgment, but my thought is I wanted to be the most ready, prepared football player that I could be and I thought the only way I could do that would be to go back to school for my senior season, and I think, regardless of what happened, and where you go in the draft, I think I’m a more prepared football player by staying in school. In that regard, I’m extremely happy that I’ve got an opportunity, and still have an opportunity to stay in the NFL.

Q: Did you think you’d go earlier, upset you’re a fourth-round pick?
Wilson : Well, I think it being such a different year in the draft, that I did expect to go a little bit earlier, but I’m so excited I think the situation, going into it, everybody said the situation is what is most important. It’s not necessarily what round or what slot or that, but it’s the situation and I think the situation in Oakland is perfect. My dad’s from the California area, he’s from Southern California , but there’s definitely a lot of family out there. You look at the organization, there’s a lot of tradition in Oakland with three Super Bowls. There’s a lot going on in the right direction. And I’m excited that I get to come in and compete, and potentially have a chance of playing on Sunday and leading the football team. That’s what I’m excited to do is get there as fast as I possibly can and start getting in the playbook.

Q: they have QBs with combined total of three starts, a new offense, so everybody starting off same page, do you look at this as chance to come in and start as a rookie?
Wilson : I think any competitor would agree that they want to play, they want to start, they want to come in and work. But talking to the coaches on the phone, they say, we want you to come in and compete your tail off, and that’s my approach. Wherever that leads me, we’ll see at the end of the day. Obviously we’ve got three pretty good guys in there and I’m going ot come in and compete like crazy.

Do you have an issue with concussions?
“I had the one last year, the Dr. Collins in Pittsburgh, who’s kind of the foremost expert on concussions. Very much cleared in his regard, and got his checkmark of approval, so I feel very confident. I played the remainder of eight games at Arkansas with no problems there, and took some pretty good licks. So I feel very good in that regard.”

Do you take too many hits?
“I think, one, it goes back to playing in a tough conference. And we had to throw the ball in order to be successful. During the two seasons that I was there, we kind of struggled running the football. So there were a lot of teams that were pinning their ears back and trying to pressure us a lot. Unfortunately, it was that type of a situation where a lot of times you had to sit in there and rip it, because of the situation we were in at Arkansas. As a quarterback you’re gonna have to take some shots and compete to give us a chance to win. I knew that. Fortunately, and unfortunately, I was able to take a hit. I think that’s part of my game a little bit.”

Looking forward to playing with Darren McFadden?
“No question. Grew up here in Arkansas as an Arkansas fan, and watched him do what he did for the school and for the university. Obviously he’s done pretty well out there. So anxious to get back there with him and build a relationship and see if we can’t work together.”

How much did former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino help your development as a QB?
“He’s a tremendous quarterback coach. It’s a quarterback university at whatever school he’s at. The practice is tailored around the quarterback position. So I think any quarterback who plays for him has an advantage on a lot of other quarterbacks from schools because of the knowledge that he expects you to know and the amount of pressure and substance that he puts on the quarterback’s shoulders. I think some years that’s really, really good, and some years it’s a little tougher. But I think I’m ahead of the curve in a lot of ways as far as a freshman coming in – or, I’m sorry, as a rookie coming in – because of what Coach Petrino kind of instilled in the quarterback position. So I’m excited to get in there and learn and figure out what we’re doing offensively. And I think we’ll be ready to go.”

Who did you talk to when Raiders called?
“I talked to Coach Allen. Coach Allen was one of the first people I talked to. As well as Coach (John) DeFilippo and Coach (Greg) Olson. Those were the first few guys I talked to.”

The Raiders used their fourth-round pick on Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson, soon after the Eagles selected USC QB Matt Barkley and the Giants took Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib. Read the rest of this entry »

The Raiders traded their fourth-round pick (No. 100) overall for a later fourth-round pick (No. 112) and one of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ sixth-round picks (No. 181). Read the rest of this entry »

Raiders coach Dennis Allen walked into the auditorium in Alameda on Friday night with a bounce in his step, a smile on his face and not a hair out of place. Read the rest of this entry »

The Raiders selected Connecticut linebacker Sio Moore with their third-round draft pick, No. 66 overall.

Moore, 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, was a three-year starter for UConn with 274 tackles, including 43 for losses.

A participant in the Senior Bowl, where the Raiders staff coached one of the teams, Moore told reporters at the NFL scouting combine he thought the experience benefited him in terms of competing against the best college players.

“I had very little time to really make my case, so the first thing I wanted to do once I got out there was to make sure that I showed guys that I’m here and a good ballplayer,” Moore said. “I felt like I got overlooked, but I was glad to have the opportunity and show guys what I’m able to do against top-tier talent. It was an honor as well as a challenge.”

Moore described his playing style to reporters at the NFL scouting combine:

“When I go out and play football, I play (angry). I play with a passion to win and the passion to give everything I have to my teammates.”

Moore joins a crowded group of linebackers along with returnee Miles Burris and free agent signees Nick Roach, Kevin Burnett and Kaluka Maiava.

The Raiders selected Florida State offensive lineman Menelik Watson on Friday with their second-round draft pick, No. 42 overall.

The pick was acquired from the Miami Dolphins Thursday, enabling the Raiders to select D.J. Hayden at No. 2 while Miami took Dion Jordan with the third pick.

Watson, 24, had a first-round grade with some analysts but is not considered a polished player.

A native of Manchester, England, Watson (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) got a basketball scholarship to Marist College, played for one season after a redshirt year, and then pursued football at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo (Orange County). Watson played soccer during his youth in England.

Watson, who played right tackle at Florida State, will likely compete with Khalif Barnes on the right side for the Raiders, with Jared Veldheer entrenched on the left side.

Late last year, cornerback D.J. Hayden was losing weight and feeling down as he recovered from a rupture of a vein that feeds to his heart, the result of a freak accident in practice at the University of Houston. Read the rest of this entry »

If recent history means anything, the Raiders stand a pretty good chance of finding a productive player at No. 42, with the second round pick they acquired from the Miami Dolphins on Thursday. Here’s a look at the players selected at No. 42 in the past 10 NFL drafts: Read the rest of this entry »

Join NFL writer Steve Corkran for a live chat as the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers make their picks on the second day of the NFL Draft.

Raiders general manager discussed the selection of D.J. Hayden Thursday night with the local media:

Q: Was Hayden the guy you targeted all along and you just though you could get him lower?

McKenzie: We targeted him. Now, to pick up an extra pick was a bonus.

Q: What about Hayden appealed to you and how much caution did his heart scare give you?

McKenzie: Of course we researched the health issues. Now, everything we got back from that standpoint was more than positive so it became a non-issue for us in that regard. He’s gonna have to mentally go through it now, that’s the only issue we had. As far as what we liked about him – the guy can cover. Point blank, he can cover. He can find the football so he does what we’re looking for in a cornerback – he’s a good cover corner who can get his hands on the football.”

Q: Did the way he survived the heart scare and pulled through it, did that raise his stock in your eyes?

McKenzie: No, I don’t think it raised his stock. It showed up how competitive and how aggressively he went after it to try to get back to his old self. It showed that but it didn’t raise his stock as far as being an overcomer.

Q: There’s a lot of good 5-11 corners in the NFL but it seems the prototype is taller corners. Can Hayden cover at the NFL level?

McKenzie: Yes. That’s why we drafted him. The thing with him, his man cover skills is what set him apart for us. He don’t lose a guy. He’s quick and he’s fast and he’s tough and aggressive in his play. So, from that standpoint we have zero issues.

Q: If a deal couldn’t be worked out, would you have taken Hayden at 3?

McKenzie: Yes.

Q: Was cornerback a position of need, or this guy too good to pass up?

McKenzie: You guys know me. I’m gonna get the best player. Once we declare our draft board, we’re gonna follow it. We’re not gonna try to fill this need and fill that need and go into the offseason saying ‘We got players that we needed.’ We want to get players that we think make a difference. We want difference-makers, guys that can make plays. And that’s where he was on our board.

Q: Getting a lot of offers for No. 3?

McKenzie: No, in the end, the offers dwindled, and some of the offers didn’t make sense. But this one made sense.

Q: This is a no-doubt pick, right?

McKenzie: Use your words: no doubt.

Q: Any hesitation whatsoever knowing his medical history?

McKenzie: It really wasn’t with me. Had a chance to bring him in, had many conversations, took him out to dinner – just to get to know the guy. We went down to his pro day and had one of my personnel guys take him out. We knew the guy. So researching that part, our doctors did a great job in researching all the medical stuff. So from that standpoint, it was a non-issue. Then when we put on the tape, which is how we make decisions, it became prevalent that that’s our guy.

Q: What can you say about his drive based on what he overcame?

McKenzie: It says a lot for his drive. It says a lot for his fortitude. He’s a want to guy. It says a lot about that but you still have to strap on the pads and make plays.

Q: Picking up a second rounder a priority?

McKenzie: To pick up some picks was a top priority. Whether that would have been a 2? We’re excited to get the two? Absolutely. We didn’t know which way the picks were coming especially from the conversations that we’ve had leading up to it. A lot of the offers didn’t make sense but this one did. We’re happy to get that two.

Q: Is he cleared to practice immediately?

McKenzie: He’s totally cleared.

Q: Nervous waiting to see if he’d still be there at 12?

McKenzie: Yes.I had an inkling that when you lose a player like Darrelle Revis I could see where they would pick a corner. But they went with the other guy and we got our guy.

Q: Who would you have taken if not there?

McKenzie: I’m going to say no comment on that one. When you move back you kind of have guys ranked in the area. We had some guys if our guy wasn’t there we had about five guys we were going to look into.

Q: What is his personality like?

McKenzie: He came across. What I look for is is he approachable. Does it seem like he will be one of those guys that’s going to be coachable and be a worker. Does he really like football? Is he going to come and get after it. He definitely showed that. I already knew the answer by the research we had from his past coaches and all our scouts dig and all that information. You watch him play you can tell the guy loves football. But sometimes you also like to look in a guy’s eyes when he tells you answers and he passed.