NFL

Raiders Beef Up at Defensive End and Tight End

Oakland gets defensive end Mario Edwards in Round 2 and Miami tight end Clive Walford in Round 3

Two days into the NFL draft, and the Raiders already have addressed three of their most pressing needs.

After General Manager Reggie McKenzie drafted wide receiver Amari Cooper Thursday with the No. 4 overall selection of Round 1, McKenzie on Friday selected Florida State defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. with the No. 3 pick of the second round, then added Miami tight end Clive Walford with the fourth choice of the third round.

McKenzie also kept up a pattern so far of selecting prospects from some of the nation’s top football schools: Alabama, Florida State and the University of Miami.

The Raiders were looking for a 4-3 defensive end to help rush the passer, and believe Edwards will fill that role. By adding Walford, they strengthen the tight end position, which was quite thin in 2014.

Edwards, who is 6-2 5/8 and 279 pounds, didn’t post big sack numbers for the Seminoles, but was strong against the run, and Oakland believes he can grow. He had three sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2014. Former Florida State teammate Menelik Watson, now a Raiders offensive tackle, tweeted: “Mario’s talent is unreal! We were in the same recruiting class at Fla. St! I know he’s about to kill it out here! #NoleBlooded.”

Edwards was first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014, but not all scouts and analysts were high on him.

“Edwards was a polarizing conversation in draft circles this year,” wrote NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. “He was 272 (pounds) at his pro day but 310 in August. Do you get him when he’s sloppy or in shape? When he’s 310, he looked more like a three-technique (inside). At his pro day he was 272 and in the best shape of his life. Now the question is, what do you get?”

Last season, Mychal Rivera really was the Raiders’ only legitimate pass-catching threat at tight end. Now Walford, 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, will be in the mix.

He was ranked as the No. 2 tight end prospect in the draft behind Minnesota’s Maxx Williams. He’s considered a solid blocker with the potential to be a good receiver, but hasn’t been consistent. He had good numbers at the NFL Combine, however, for speed, quickness and jumping ability.

This past season he had 44 catches in 12 games for 676 yards and seven touchdowns. He was credited with 10 dropped passes over the past two seasons, however.

The Raiders will wrap up their draft Saturday with four more picks: one each in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

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