The Oakland Raiders took a huge gamble in drafting cornerback D.J. Hayden in the first round of the April draft. That gamble may be about to pay off as Hayden is set to make his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears Friday night according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. This will be Hayden's first live game action since an injury to his heart in practice last November cost him most of his senior year at the University of Houston and nearly cost him his life, he underwent emergency surgery and then endured another surgery in May to clear up scar tissue. Several teams took Hayden off their draft board due to the extreme risk any some experts predicted he would never play football again-much less be a first-round draft pick, Hayden was sidelined for the start of training camp and limited to a red “no-contact†jersey until last Sunday. Now comes the day Hayden and the Raiders front office have been praying for. “I’m looking forward to my first NFL game. Can’t wait to get out there and play,†Hayden said. “I want to go ahead and shake the rust off. Get wet a little bit. Can’t wait.†Thw whole football world (with the possible exception of the AFC West) is rooting for this guy. Source: The Redzone
