Miracle NFL Pick
D.J. Hayden's miracle blaze to the Raiders is a big win for the University of Houston too
D.J. Hayden's looked death in the eye — and won. Now he just has to find a way to help turn the Oakland Raiders into winners.
OK, some miracles may be beyond even super human capacity.
But no one can take away from the fact that the University of Houston has the feel-good story of an NFL Draft heavy on trades and unexpected drama. It's a testament to Hayden that his getting taken with the 12th overall pick in the draft isn't even close to one of the bigger surprises of the night.
Hayden's not just Mr. Feel Good Miracle Man. He's considered a potential game-changing cornerback.
His 4.33 speed had the Raiders chasing after him, moving down from the No. 3 pick in part because they wanted the UH guy more than anyone they could have grabbed there. Hayden had made himself a big enough story by draft time that ESPN showed video of a live remote from his house. He didn't even have to go to New York and hang with Roger Goodell.
The spotlight would come to him. And it can't help but spill over a little to a University of Houston football program that could use a boost about now.
Hayden almost died after a freak practice collision last November severed a vein that brings blood to his heart. He lost almost 30 pounds and there were times the prospect of playing football again seemed remote.
He's not just playing though. He spent this month, skyrocketing up draft boards, becoming a coveted player that NFL teams yearned to move up in the draft to land rather than a question mark. Hayden's not just Mr. Feel Good Miracle Man. He's considered a potential game-changing cornerback.
By the time draft night rolled around, some draft experts pegged Alabama defensive back Dee Milliner as a bigger health risk than the guy who almost died. But that's how stunningly complete Hayden's comeback was.
It is a little strange to see a player from a UH defense that didn't exactly dominate — or often even play that well — last season go so high. The University of Houston hasn't had a first round draft pick since Antowain Smith in 1997.
Sixteen years and a giant sized miracle later, Hayden closed that gap as easy as can be.
