7:33 p.m.

Here are some choice bits from Tom Cable’s Day 2 media appearance. I have to say he looked very upbeat about his team’s picked. Or was it just relief that this marathon was over? Anyway, here’s Tom. And I’m out. Hope you enjoyed today’s draft coverage. E-mail any questions about what went on.

“Just to talk a little bit about Day 2, it started with Matt Shaughnessy, a defensive end from Wisconsin, we needed a guy that gives us something like Trevor Scott, that type of guy, but a little more size, and we feel good about that. Louis Murphy, we thought, would have been gone by then. – Slade Norris has been at linebacker and played at rush end the last two years at Oregon State. We’re going to stand him up and play him at the SAM linebacker spot. Stryker Sulak was an end also, but also a linebacker in their system, depending on how they played certain teams he would be an inside linebacker, he’d be an edge linebacker, put his hand on the ground and be a defensive end as a pass rusher. So again, we’ll stand him up to start, at the linebacker spot. And then the last one (Brandon Myers) was a guy that I really felt we had to have, this was the last piece to those four (positions) I talked about earlier in the year, that we had to have the tight end that really had some physicalness to him so we could take some of that away from Zach Miller and use him in the passing game a little bit more. Overall, like every coach says, I’m very pleased – what we did, who we got and who we’re bringing in here.

Q: Was it Myers you wanted or just the position?

“It was Myers. There was two guys on there, (Fresno State’s Bear) Pascoe and Myers, and Pascoe went just before. So, either way, whichever one fell to us we were going to go after and get it.”

Q: How does Shaughnessy stand out, more like Richardson or Scott?

“You look at a guy who I think has 48 starts at Wisconsin. He’s been on a number of successful teams. A little more size than Trevor, not as big as Jay, so somewhere in between there. But I like the motor, I like what I got out of him. If you look at the East-West game he really was productive in that all-star game, and then just his numbers, playing that much in that league, at that school, is a pretty good accomplishment.

Q: Why no O-linemen added?

“Well, as I mentioned, we kind of went into it talking about the offensive line, you know, for a purpose, really because we had signed Khalif Barnes, Erik Pears, at tackle, and then obviously the trade (with New England), which was huge if you look at the value of that sixth pick today, that’s a tremendous gift for us. That’s a great trade. Getting Samson (Satele, the center) traded, getting us the depth there, we’re in good shape. The depth at guard, Cooper (Carlisle), Robert (Gallery), Paul McQuistan would be the third guy in there, and then you’ve got some other guys that we’ve put in there. I’m trying to think of the names right now. Mark Wilson would be a guy who is cleared now and has come back from the ankle fracture.”

Q: Were you intent on getting another receiver, or just couldn’t pass up Murphy?
“Just could not pass him up. Could not pass him up.”

Q: Is there a concern that Sulak maybe hits after the whistle, is too intense?
“None at all. The Raiders need that again. We need more of that. – With some discipline along. You can’t be crazy, but you need that attitude.”

Q: Would you now look at existing veteran free-agent wide receivers?
“You know, I think at this point probably not, because I like the group now. Very satisfied. Did not think Murphy would be there. Had Murphy not been there, that was definitely an option. But now you’ve created, again, another talented guy that can really run. Probably don’t need to do it yet.”

Q: Have you done enough to address the issues in run defense?
“We did. First of all, kind of a two-part question there. The run game is kind of addressed a couple of ways. I think that we’ve gotta coach better and clean up some things in terms of what we’re doing, system-wise. I think we’ve addressed that by the coaching staff we’ve hired. And then we’ve got to get better at the linebacker spot. And when I say better, I mean more depth there. That’s really a key for us. You look what happens when we lose a guy, and then we kind of have to piecemeal it together. So this gives us a chance to not have that issue. Mitchell definitely upgrades us if any of you have taken the time to look at him now and see what he is physically. We feel a lot better about it. So we’ve got some good tackles on this football team. They’ve gotta play like it.”

Q: Which of the five you picked today can play on special teams?

“Actually all five guys we drafted today, that was part of it. It’s a great question and that was part of it. My belief in the whole thing was what was their special teams value? You get on the phone with a Louis Murphy and tell him you want to pick him and be an Oakland Raider and the first thing he wanted to know is what is the strength coach’s phone number and can I get on special teams. That’s a great thing. We knew that about him. They all had that characteristic in there. It plays a big role, definitely.”

Q: How would you assess how your plan worked out, better than hoped?

“It did. The one thing we had to do was get about three, four key players in free agency and we’re actually started on that already. When we get done here I’ll go get involved in that. That’s really a key thing for us. I still think we need to find a fullback, maybe another tight end, defensive tackle. Those things jump at me right away. In terms of addressing that in the draft, in some ways we did other than the fullback and the defensive tackle thing but those weren’t priority draft things. They were there if we could do it late, if the right guy was there. If not, we’d go to priority free agents.”

Q: Most of your picks seem like good character guys. Was that explicity discussed as a priority?

“Very much so. If you remember back to Week 10, maybe it was Week 9 I think. I made a statement to the media after having a team meeting with just the team and I, the players and I, no coaches, no one else in here, and we talked about that issue. If you want to start winning, if you want to change things around here, then the BS has to stop. You have to start living and playing with honor and that means doing things right, with discipline and being selfless. I thought we really took to that the last six weeks and I see it in the offseason program. That’s who I am. I don’t want to do that and inherit a bunch of craziness. At the same time, men are men, boys are boys and they do their things. But I don’t want to bring someone in here that I thought was crazy, that couldn’t fit, that was about him. He had to be about the team. He had to ask me on the phone after we picked him if he could play on special teams. Those kinds of things were really important to me.”

Q: What do you make of the reports of those ripping you for your picks?
“Well, the first thing you have to know about me is, I don’t need to stand up and beat my chest and say, ‘The hell with everyone.’ I’m going to probably take a statement, if you will, from Bill Walsh. When you find a player you want, go get him. Don’t worry about it. Go get him. And that’s what I did. I’ll take the heat for that. We’ve since had people coming back apologizing, turning on film and saying, ‘Oh, my god, well this guy was going to Chicago, and they admitted that they were going to take him at 49.’ So it makes some people look pretty foolish now. But the bottom line is, I kind of live by that statement from coach Walsh. When you find the one you want, go get it. Don’t let anyone detract you and don’t worry about what they say.”

Q: Does it matter much that a player such as Murphy played for a winning team?
“Yeah, that’s a huge point. If you look at every one of these kids. Heyward-Bey kind of up and down, but enough you need to say he had a winning record in college. Mike Mitchell won. Shaughnessy won. Mike Mitchell is part of turning around a program that used to be very poor at the University of Ohio. Shaughnessy won a lot of games. Louis Murphy, who we’re talking about directly here, has won two national championships. Not only did he feel like I didn’t have to be the guy, but he was also a team captain. So those qualities you’re talking about. Slade Norris, that program has really taken off in the last few years, that’s doing well at Oregon State. Stryker Sulak, Missouri. That speaks for itself what they’ve been doing lately. Then you look at Brandon Myers. Iowa has consistently been there. They had a couple years prior to this year that were a little up and down. But all of these kids are winners and all of them come with leadership and a number of them having been captains.”

Q: You guys have any interest/talks about Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards?

“We did not.”

Q: People would call DHB and Mitchell classic Al picks. Are they Cable picks too?

“We actually had a plan early that we would go out and kind of target the first couple of rounds separately and see where we’re at. The thing was we had one wanted in the first and that was Darrius, without question. And (round) two, we both had the same two guys. And it was the same position, we knew who they were, we knew what we wanted to do. So when they both hit, it really was kind of unique because we had agreed that’s where we were at. Very much together in it and the rest kind of took care of itself. I think when you look at the draft, the characteristics of the player, athletically, size, speed, numbers and all that. Certainly those are Oakland Raider numbers, Al Davis numbers and all that. At the same time, the other things that go with it, my name’s right there with it.”

Q: It seems as though some of these players are similar to guys you have.

“Yeah, I think one of the things that sold me on Mike was the fact that I love Tyvon (Branch). And I watched him play before he got hurt last year, and being a gunner on special teams and his play on defense, and said you know what? I want another one like that. I like that so much I want another one. And he got hurt and we missed it. And so I think what you did is you made yourself better. You’ve got two guys like Tyvon. Again, you did nothing but get better. And having been around that last year I really gained fondness for what he’s capable of and what he brought to the table. The great thing about Tyvon is his attitude and how he plays and how he works in the weight room and out on the field. He challenges people in a respectful way. He’s really good.”

Q: Al Davis has his own style. What’s yours?

“We do things here I think in a certain way. I think there’s a lot of fact to that. Whether you want to call it the Al Davis way, the Oakland Raider way, it’s our way and one of the things that I’ve learned being here two years prior was the more you do diligence as an assistant coaching staff, the more you get every i dotted, t crossed, and you find and you look and background check and go get some more and find even more. The more you do that, the smoother it is through the process. And that’s what we did, and I thought the staff did a great job. I thought the scouts, we were on with them, they were on with us, that’s what really got me excited. We really connected this year and everything worked. We had a plan and we stuck to the plan and we got who we needed to get.

7:10 p.m.

Unless it’s Lane Kiffin daring his boss to fire him, NFL coaches are usually reluctant to divulge any real information, especially when it comes to personnel matters. You have to read between the lines.

Well, reading between Tom Cable’s lines over the past couple weeks, you can sense some weirdness involving wide receiver Javon Walker.

Here’s Cable at an April 14 press conference when he was asked about Walker: “He is working. He is not here, but he is working and he is healthy, cleared, good to go, for sure.”

Here’s Cable on Saturday, talking about the Darrius Heyward-Bey selection: “There’s one guy in the draft who makes our entire team better. He makes Zach Miller better, he makes JaMarcus better, he makes Darren McFadden better, and Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Chaz Schilens, on and on and on.”

And here’s Cable from today: “And I just feel like with Johnnie and Chaz and the improvement those guys made, particularly at the end of the year last year, and add these two new guys in and see if we can get Javon Walker healthy, find out about Arman Shields, what does he bring to the table – you start looking at it and, you know what? We raised the bar.”

So first Walker is healthy, and later he’s in doubt. And in between, Cable virtually runs through the entire offensive roster and leaves out his one 1,000-yard receiver. OK, it’s all highly speculative. But doesn’t it seem as though Walker is being pushed aside? The Raiders won’t cut him; his acceleration is way too expensive. But he might be the odd man out in Oakland.

6:55 p.m.

It had to be asked.

On Saturday, Tom Cable made a big deal of Darrius Heyward-Bey’s having played in a pro-style offense at Maryland, saying it made him much more NFL-ready than the more highly touted Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech and Jeremy Maclin of Missouri, both of whom played in spread offenses.

But on Sunday, the Raiders snagged Florida receiver Louis Murphy in Round 4. Murphy played in the spread at Florida, catching passes from mobile Tim Tebow.

So if Crabtree and Maclin were hampered by their offensive systems, wasn’t Murphy? Wouldn’t he have a steeper learning curve in the NFL? Cable knew it was coming.

“The first question you’ll probably ask me is he played in spread system, yes he did,” the coach said in his Day 2 preamble. “But always as an outside receiver, so he’s more apt to make the transition into the pro system.”

There it is. I’m not saying it was a great answer, but it was his answer.

5:50 p.m.

If you count Louis Delmas as a safety – he also played some corner at Western Michigan – Mike Mitchell was the third safety selected in the 2009 draft. Mel Kiper Jr. had Mitchell tied for 40^th at the position, and that set up a nice little debate between the two men.

“Mel Kiper has his opinion and I respect it,” Mitchell said. “But what does it mean? My 9-year-old nephew can watch film and make an opinion. I think I value the opinion of scouts who get paid to make their opinions. It will carry me through my career. It will serve as motivation for me.”

Here’s Kiper’s reaction: “He’s entitled to say that. He’s a player. You want him to defend his position. He’s a second-round pick, I’m happy for him. I had him between 40 and 73 at safety with a seventh-round grade. So this is a kid that had a chance to go into camp and make a team as a late-round pick. He went second round. I thought there were still a lot of safeties still in the fourth that were better. Todd McShay had him at 123. So, teams that I’ve talked to in the NFL – who get paid to scout – thought he was a free agent. It wasn’t only Oakland, one team told me this morning they were going to take him in the third round. They think he has future Pro Bowl ability. That’s the wide range of opinion on Michael Mitchell.”

4:20 p.m.

If playing time were based on personality, Louis Murphy would be guaranteed a starting position at wide receiver alongside Johnnie Lee Higgins. Here is a transcript of the conference call on which he participated with Bay Area media today:

Q. When the Raiders picked Heyward-Bey, did you figure you had no chance of going to Oakland?

“Yeah, they took a receiver pretty high, so I thought that Oakland was probably off the list and I looked toward other teams. I never thought I’d be going to Oakland.”

Q: What did you think when you got the call?

“Aww, man. I don’t know who called me. I just picked up the phone and they said their name. I can’t remember because they were going so fast but they said it was the Oakland Raiders: ‘We’re about to pick you in a minute or so, do you want to be part of the Oakland Raiders organization?’ I said of course. Of course, yep.

Q: Tom Cable noted that DHB is NFL-ready because he played in a pro-style offense. Will it be hard for you to adjust after playing in the spread?

“I don’t think it’s going to be very difficult because actually our offense, with some of the plays and routes that we run a lot of the coaches were surprised with my football knowledge about a pro offense. A lot of the stuff that we do is pro. It’s mainly the spread, but we run a lot of pro stuff and a lot of deep balls you’ll see me catching, and a lot of the go routes and the posts and the post corners. A lot of it is modeled after the pro offense, certain routes or certain plays. We’re not a pro offense or a spread offense. I don’t think it will be a real big learning curve.”

Q: Did you visit the Raiders in Alameda?

“Yes. Actually I met with the Raiders, met with the receivers coach (Sanjay Lal). I had a good meeting. Me and the receivers coach hit it off. We talked and he really wanted to coach me and I didn’t think I would get a chance to work with him.”

Q: Coming from a championship team that almost never lost, how will you adjust to the Raiders, who have struggled in recent years?

“I’m just going to come in and help where I can, whatever coach needs me to do. They got a hard-working player that’s going to come out and give his best. Coming from a national championship team I think that Oakland drafted some players they really feel are championship players and have experienced that. I know all the veterans’ goals are to win and that’s what I’m coming in to help them win games.”

Q: What do you know about JaMarcus Russell?

“Oh, man. The only thing I know about JaMarcus Russell is that when we played them in the Swamp my sophomore year, I saw him throw the ball and not even thinking about it said, ‘I wouldn’t mind playing with JaMarcus Russell.’ I never though about it past that day, but that was my only touchdown of that year when we played against LSU. I was like, ‘If I ever make it to the NFL, the way he throws the ball, that was crazy.’ Watching him get drafted high and watching him in the NFL, I won’t mind being on the receiving end catching those deep balls from him.”

Q: Percy Harvin at Florida, DHB here – are you OK with being out of the limelight?

“Oh, man, it’s my whole life. That’s my life story and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m cool with that. That’s just the type of person I am. And the more the Oakland fans will get to know me, I’m real laid back, man, and I go hard on the field. And man, I’m proud, I’m happy for Heyward-Bey. I’m just ready to play ball. There’s not going to be any animosity. I played with Percy and (Tim) Tebow and we were best friends. I’m not a selfish guy at all. Whenever coach throws me the ball I’m going to try make it a big play.”

Q: Did it help or hurt to be on the same team with Harvin?

“Yeah, it helped me win championships. I mean, what do you mean? In what way?”

Q: As far as recognition. Like, if he hadn’t been at Florida, maybe you would have been drafted you in Round 1 or 2?

“Oh, man. I probably would have been. I still honestly thought I was going to go in the second round, and the cards fell the way they fell. From the teams I really felt, I was hearing a lot of late first, early second. But the draft is the draft.”

Q: Was last night tough waiting for a call?

“Last night, it was pretty rough. I really thought I was going to go first day. But I was set on whatever God had for me is for me. And I know God wants me in Oakland. So that’s what it is. So I can’t complain.”

Q: Did you play QB in high school?

“I played some quarterback, freshman, sophomore year. And junior, senior year I played a little bit, rotated a little bit at quarterback. But nah, mostly I played receiver junior and senior year and I played receiver all four years at Florida.”

Q: You went to the same high school as Raiders tackle Cornell Green. Do you know him?

“No, I didn’t even know Cornell Green went to our school until yesterday when the newspaper came out and did an article on me and showed everybody from my high school that played in the NFL, and Cornell Green was on there. And I still haven’t met him. I probably have, I just don’t know.”

Q: Did playing in the spread help you learn shorter routes?

“Yeah, man. Like third-and-short, sometimes the deep pattern’s not the best situation. Sometimes you’ve got to take the shorter route. And it worked on my agility and quickness in and out of breaks. Being able to stop going in one direction and go in another direction really helped my overall game. And I’ve been working with Cris Carter. I’m going to get up with Jerry Rice. Man, I’m just trying to learn from the best. And you’ll get my best out there. Being in the spread offense helped me, but I’ve also learned a lot of pro stuff these last couple months.”

2:55 p.m.

Stryker Sulak sounds like an interesting character. His first name is Joseph, his middle name Stryker; supposedly his parents gave him the middle name because workers at the Alcoa plant in his hometown of Rockdale, Texas, were on strike when he was born.

Sulak was a regional qualifier in the high jump in high school, and he turned into a heat-seeking missile at Missouri, where he set a school record with 22 1/2 sacks. Sulak forced 14 fumbles in college, including six last season. And he seems to have an attitude.

This is from the Columbia Missourian: “He yells at lackadaisical teammates during practice. He taunts equipment managers if drill materials aren’t set up fast enough.”

OK, the Raiders could use some of that.

2:20 p.m.

The action’s coming fast and furious now. Right after the Raiders took Stryker Sulak, we got wide receiver Louis Murphy on a conference call. (Great interview — I’ll post it when I can.) And while we were talking to Murphy, we looked up at the TV to note that Oakland had traded up to get another sixth-round pick. They took Iowa tight end Brandon Myers.

2:10 p.m.:

The pick is in. It’s Stryker Sulak, a defensive end from Missouri. He’s a smaller guy who can rush the passer,with 22 1/2 sacks in his college career. More soon.

1:40 p.m.

If you missed this exchange on ESPN, you have to read the following transcript. First Suzy Kolber interviewed coach Tom Cable live from Raiders headquarters. Cable didn't say much that he didn't say to us yesterday. He looked weary and a little impatient with the interview. But the fireworks came after Cable signed off, and Kolber asked former NFL players Trent Dilfer, Cris Carter and Tom Jackson to weigh in on the Raiders' draft maneuvers.

Check it out.

Kolber: Do you believe in JaMarcus Russell?

Dilfer: Jury is still out. I don't want to come to that conclusion yet. Saw him last year in training camp. I thought he had remarkable arm talent. He obviously can throw the ball very well. He's more accurate than people give him credit for. He's definitely not a quarterback yet. He doesn't do all the things quarterbacks do. I do believe the work ethic question is a legitimate one. When you can become 280 pounds in the offseason, that tells me something about how you value working out. Among the issues, you're talking about speed going to help a quarterback. What about trust and dependability? And I'll segue to you CC, because what you did in the NFL, is a craft. It's not just about being a fast athlete. It's a craft. And quarterbacks need a receiver that values it as a craft, so you can trust and depend on them, especially in the critical moments in games.

Carter: I don't know how to build a football team. I admit that. And there's a lot of other things I don't know how to do. I do know how to make a receiver into a receiver, and I do know how to recognize a receiver when he can make a contribution to an NFL team. Darrius Heyward-Bey - he made honorable mention All-ACC. Now you're telling me that I just spent 50 million dollars on my quarterback, he's my franchise quarterback, and I'm going to get a guy who's going to be in the ACC, be inconsistent? He had games when he didn't even catch a ball. So how's that going to help JaMarcus? If he can't catch a ball in an ACC game, he gets to the National Football League, now you know they have a reason to make him disappear. Tommy, I know you like to talk defense. It's easy to take a receiver out of a game, and a receiver does not help a young quarterback that much, especially when you have the sack problems that the Raiders have.

Jackson: We're going to find out a lot about the football team this year. They stretch the field. You listen to coach Cable, I was listening to what he said. We're going to run the ball, pull people up, and we're going to throw it over your head. That's always been the philosophy of the Oakland Raiders. They did it with Cliff Branch, they did it with a number of other guys, they tried to do it with Randy Moss, now we're going to see if it works. You've put a lot of offensive weaponry in place, and we'll have a chance to see if it works.

Carter: What's their record? Tell me their record again, since the Super Bowl.

Kolber: 24-72.

Carter: 24-72. Now I know Randy Moss is a better football player than this kid. It didn't work for Randy Moss.

Dilfer: Back when you and Jaws played with leather helmets, you could do that. You could run, draw the defense up, throw it over people's heads. It's a different game. You can't protect long enough to throw the football 55, 60 yards down the field. It doesn't work. That formula: run, run, run, suck 'em up, throw it over their head, doesn't work. It doesn't work anywhere, and hasn't worked for years. That's why the best offensive coaches in this league offense understand the horizontal stretch as well as a vertical stretch. You have to balance your offense to move the chains.

Kolber: What about Louis Murphy, the speedy receiver from Florida they picked up in the fourth round?

Carter: Now he's a little more complete receiver, and he had a better year at Florida than, than-

Kolber: Darrius Heyward-Bey. It was the first time they used a first-round pick on a wide receiver since Tim Brown in 1988.

Carter: Honorable mention. Did anybody mention that??

1:30 p.m.

Mel Kiper Jr. brought up a knock on the Louis Murphy selection, noting that Florida wide receivers have commonly struggled in the NFL. “Inconsistency catching the football, particularly his junior year, improved a little bit his senior year but Florida. They have not sent receivers who have transitioned effectively into the NFL,” Kiper said. “They put up big numbers at Florida.

“Travis Taylor, Taylor Jacobs, Chad Jackson, Reidel Anthony – the list goes on and on and on. Florida receivers have struggled in the NFL. – Louis Murphy at wide receiver had a productive career, did some really good things, was there in the fourth round a lot for that reason and because of that inconsistency.”

As others have pointed out, it might be a fair comparison. Those other Florida receivers played under Steve Spurrier, not Urban Meyer. And here’s another Louis Murphy tidbit: He’s the eighth player from Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Fla., to be drafted by an NFL team. And that doesn’t include Raiders tackle Cornell Green, who was undrafted out of college. Murphy was Wing-T quarterback at Lakewood.

1:12 p.m.

Here’s a scouting report on wide receiver Louis Murphy, from NFLDraftScout.com. While the Raiders have been taking plenty of heat for this draft (more on that soon), people seem to like this pick. I’ve seen Murphy called a legitimate No. 3 receiver in the NFL. He’s sort of a slighter Darrius Heyward-Bey without the first-round pressure.

Anyway-

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE 6.18

12:12 p.m.

Matt Shaughnessy checked in via conference call. The Wisconsin defensive end didn’t have a lot to say, to be honest, but sounds ready to get to work.

Q: Did you visit Alameda?
A: No, I have not.

Q: Have you heard from the Raiders at all?
A: You know, I talked to them at the game (Senior Bowl) and the combine so I’ve been in contact with them.

Q: Injuries a concern? In the past?
A: I think they’re all behind me. I played this season, you know, I got through it. Right now, I feel the best I’ve ever felt, so-

Q: Know anything about the Raiders?
A: Well, I’m not sure but I talked to Coach (Dwaine) Board and he said he wants me to come in, you know, and give it a shot, and compete for playing. So that’s what I’m going to do, come in and give my hardest.

Q: At your best, what do you bring to the table?
A: You know, I think my speed and athleticism, and my motor.

Q: Areas to improve?
A: I’m just looking forward to getting in there and learning from the people that are there and you know just getting better as a player.

Q: Long night when not drafted on first day?
A: It wasn’t too bad. I sort of wanted this whole process to be a surprise, you know? Obviously, me and my agent talked about certain things. I knew I’d be going today but you know I really wasn’t too worried.

Q: Left end or right?
A: I played both and I played a little tackle in a three-man front technique personnel, our Badger package.

Q: Board give any specifics?
A: Not yet, you know, probably a little when I meet him we’ll talk more about that stuff.

Q: Any Raider memories?
A: You know, growing up, I watched as much football, I never had a favorite team, so I just always watched any team. Obviously, it’s my favorite team now, you know?

Q: Where were you when drafted?
A: I was at home with my parents and friends.

Q: Were you watching the draft?
A: Yeah, we were watching it.

Q: Can you help the run defense, did Board say as much?
A: He hasn’t talked to me about it yet,

12:05 p.m.

Matt Shaughnessy is called a hard worker and a tough competitor. But the Wisconsin defensive end has a long injury list. He missed the end of his freshman season with a knee injury, tore his ACL at the end of 2006, and broke his right fibula during 2008 spring practice. To his credit, he didn’t miss a lot of time. Still, it’s rare that a guy gets hurt a lot in college but avoids the problem in the NFL.

Meanwhile, here is some scouting-report stuff on the 6-5, 266-pound end, courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com.

Body Structure: Shaughnessy has a lean frame and needs to add more bulk, but he has good bone structure, outstanding wing span, very large hands, but just adequate quickness. He has better playing strength than in the weight room, showing better upper-body tone and thickness than in his adequate lower frame. He has slim thighs and calves.

Athletic Ability: Shaughnessy needs to increase his bulk, but is surprisingly strong for a player with a lean frame. He has good height, incredible reach and big hands to lock on and drag down ballcarriers. He has durability issues, evident by his adequate 2008 performance after suffering a right fibula fracture in preseason drills, and could be red-flagged as an injury risk. He is an inconsistent edge rusher who will flash explosion for several plays, but can disappear for extended stretches. Has all the tools to be a solid situational player, but you have to question if he has the durability to withstand NFL punishment. He shows decent straight-line speed, but struggles when having to change direction (tight hips). Because of size issues, if he does not use his hands to fend off blockers, he gets stonewalled too much when trying to work through trash.

Football Sense: Shaughnessy has decent field vision, but despite 18.5 sacks and 22 pressures, he is better served waiting for the action to come to him. He gets bounced around quite a bit with inside gap penetration, as he fails to use his long arms to protect his legs. He is a good student and learns football easily, but you wonder why he is slow to react at times.

Character: Shaughnessy has no known off-field issues. He is compliant, respectful and will do what coaches ask. No one will question his desire to play the game. He can take well to hard coaching.

Competitiveness: Shaughnessy is a tough player who generally gives up considerable bulk to offensive tackles, but will combat until the whistle. If he can add more bulk and improve his lower-body strength, he has a good shot of being a nice part of a team’s D-line rotation. He gives above-average effort on the field, but will be late off the snap due to a lack of a good initial burst.

Work Habits: Shaughnessy is a hard worker with impressive recovery coming back from two serious injuries. He has good upper-body strength, but must add more bulk and increase his lower-body strength. He has the athletic ability and strength to be an effective edge rusher, but does not show the back pedal or pass coverage skills to possibly shift to linebacker. He has the frame to carry additional weight and will need to do so in order to play at the next level. If he can generate more leg drive to match his upper body strength, he could bring value as a situational edge rusher.

10:48 a.m.

The Raiders’ two most recent picks, Louis Murphy and Slade Norris, have one thing in common. Here’s the shock: It’s speed!

Al Davis pulled a couple of fast ones when he selected Louis Murphy and Slade Norris. Murphy was better known for his track exploits than his football production at Florida, where he was overshadowed by Percy Harvin. He has true world-class speed (4.34 is his fastest official 40 time) and good acceleration off the line. But he played in a spread offense at Florida and, like first-round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey, is known for inconsistent hands.

Norris played defensive end at Oregon State, but at 6-2 1/2 , 236 pounds, he’s slated for outside linebacker in the NFL. And yep, he can move. Norris is known for his high effort, but did not seem to be highly regarded by most scouts. Pro Football Weekly’s scouting guide, for example, said Norris “does not play fast” and “struggles to lock out.” In fact, the guide says he “must bulk up to be an NFL backup.” Sounds like a special teamer.

10:38 a.m.

The Raiders just made two quick picks, nearly back to back in the fourth round. They took Florida wide receiver Louis Murphy at pick No. 124 and Oregon State outside linebacker Slade Norris at 126. Be right back with scouting reports.

10:25 a.m.

Is it time to grab some beef? After going for a wide receiver and a safety on the first day, the Raiders took a defensive end in round 3.

But they could still use help at defensive and offensive tackle. In case they’re thinking along those lines, here are a few of the top prospects – at least as consensus opinion has it – left at those positions.

Offensive tackle:

Gerald Cadogan, Penn State

Jamon Meredith, South Carolina

Troy Kopog, Tulane

Defensive tackle:

Ricky Jean-Francois, LSU

Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech

Vance Walker, Georgia Tech

Chris Baker, Hampton

10:10 a.m.

Raiders PR official Mike Taylor cornered some of the writers this morning to point out that NFL Network’s Mike Mayock had publicly apologized to the team for bashing the Mike Mitchell pick yesterday. I didn’t hear Mayock’s mea culpa. Taylor said Mayock reported that Chicago GM Jerry Angelo admitted that his club traded out of pick No. 49 after the Raiders took Mitchell at 47. The safety did say on his conference call that the Bears were the other team that seemed to be interested in him.

So think of it what you will. But with all the heat the Raiders took for their two Saturday selections, I’m trying to present some balance.

10 a.m.: OK, engines are running down here in Alameda. The Raiders made their third-round pick — Matt Shaughnessy, a big defensive end from Wisconsin. The early word is that he has had some injuries, and backslid a bit in his senior season. I’ll find out more and check back. The Chargers are picking in the fourth round now at No. 113 overall; the Raiders’ next pick is at No. 124. That’s the one they got from New England yesterday. Oakland also picks at No. 126 after swapping fourth-round picks with Miami as part of the trade for center Samson Satele. The Dolphins took Ohio State receiver Brian Hartline with theirs (No. 108).