Report: Raiders contemplating Hayden third overall

The Oakland Raiders are targeting cornerback D.J. Hayden of Houston in the first round, according to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports and other speculation to that effect.

Hayden was considered a top cornerback prospect in the draft, but missed time and caused plenty of uncertainty health-wise due to a ruptured vein last year that nearly caused him to die. Hayden now has full medical clearance and his stock appears to be back on the rise.

Ideally, the Raiders would like to trade down from No. 3 overall and pick back up some of the draft picks (second-rounder) that they blew on Carson Palmer in 2011. But La Canfora says he has been told that the Raiders like Hayden so much that if they can't trade down, they might consider Hayden at No. 3 overall.

If that happens, then we will know that the ghost of Al Davis, who was always worth a draft-day surprise in round one, is still present in the Raiders war room.

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com

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