ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -The Oakland Raiders started the second day of the NFL draft with the same strategy they used in the first: addressing a leaky run defense.
After trading down five spots in two separate trades, the Raiders drafted Texas defensive tackle Lamarr Houston with the 12th pick of the second round on Friday.
Teamed with middle linebacker Rolando McClain, who was taken eighth overall in the first round, Houston is being counted on to upgrade one of the biggest weaknesses in recent years for Oakland.
With much speculation that the Raiders would focus on upgrading their offensive line early in this year’s draft, the Raiders instead looked at fixing another weakness.
155.5 yards per game.
Those problems have played a key part in the team’s run of seven straight seasons of at least 11 losses – the worst such stretch in NFL history. The Raiders are 29-83 since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, the second-worst record in the NFL in that span.
It’s the second straight year that coach Tom Cable talked up the offensive line prospects in a draft only to pass on picking any of them early. Oakland drafted receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and safety Mike Mitchell with its first two picks last year, bypassing the offensive line entirely.
The Raiders still have seven picks remaining in this draft, including a third-rounder on Friday. They added two third-day picks by moving down twice in the second round, acquiring a fifth-rounder from Tampa Bay to move down three spots and then a sixth-rounder from New England to drop two more spots.
The Raiders have also placed a priority on finding players with winning pedigrees, adding a pair of players so far who played in the BCS national championship game last season. Houston had 10 tackles and a sack in Texas’ 37-21 loss to McClain and Alabama.
Houston was a starter his final three seasons at Texas. He had his best season last year with eight sacks and 22 tackles for loss.
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