Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan spoke with the media in the press room at the team's Alameda, Calif., facility at the conclusion of the 2008 NFL Draft and discussed the two defensive prospects the Raiders selected, off-season acquisitions and more.
Q: Tyvon Branch is a fast guy and hard hitter. How do you use a guy like this right away?
Raiders Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan: We think he’s going to be a safety for us. He’s a good, solid player. You talk about his versatility and that jumps off the tapes when you watch him. He’s a hard-hitting young man who’s really fun to watch. We’ve seen about every game they played this year and really we’re excited about him. I know our special teams coach Brian Schneider is real excited about his return ability also.
Q: With a guy like that, do you just watch a tape and say that guy could be a safety or do you talk to his old coaches about what that transition would be like?
Ryan: We do all the research there is and talk to his coaches. We want to find out as much information about a young man as possible. The two guys that we picked on defense are both real solid character people and guys that we think are real serious about football. We’re excited about them. Both of them have redeeming qualities and we really like the way that young man hits. It’s fun to see a guy throw his body around and tackling. We know we had an issue there and we’re looking to upgrade and we did that with that pick.
Q: With only two years in playing defense…Trevor Scott. Where is he in terms of learning that and do you see a lot of potential because if it?
Ryan: Yeah that’s the thing when you see that young man. You do see potential and a guy that, to me, is getting stronger every day. You see his even his weight is going up. His strength is going up every day. It’s interesting he moved from tight end where he was obviously a good player for two years but really took off with pretty good production as a defensive end.
Q: Is he playing only on the right end or does he go back and forth?
Ryan: We’ve seen him at both. He played in the All-Star game where my father coached. Fortunately, they got clipped at the end in a nail biter but this guy is a good, talented young guy and I know Keith Millard will really make something special out of him.
Q: Branch had the best 40-[yard dash time] at the combine for a cornerback and even Scott has a pretty impressive 40 time for a defensive end. Is speed really a focal point of this draft?
Ryan: I think in the National Football League, speed is always huge. It’s so important. That’s the difference between saving touchdowns on defense and making touchdowns on offense. We got two excellent prospects that can run. They are good, solid young players but the thing we like about them is both of them can run and both of them are very talented.
Q : How do you feel going into the season with Terdell Sands. and Tommy Kelly.?
Ryan: I think we have very talented defensive tackles here. I think the first thing is we have to fundamentally work on our tackling, which we are going to address. There are a couple things in our scheme that we are getting fixed. We’re tired of watching tape, we can’t wait to get back at it. Obviously moving Tommy Kelly. inside is going to be huge for us. Also, Gerard Warren is out here working every single day. We’re excited about those tackles. No question about it.
Q: Is Trevor Scott a defensive end because as some people have projected him as an outside linebacker?
Ryan: No, he is a defensive end. Maybe those were 3-4 teams or whatever. He does have that outstanding speed so I could see how people would project him there. We see Trevor as a developing defensive end.
Q: When you look at Scott and you know that he’s had only two years as a defensive end. Can you watch film and see that he’s been able to get past guys because he’s got that great speed and maybe the technique you’ll work on when you get him?
Ryan: Oh yeah, you can tell when you look at him. He’s a little bit green obviously with playing two years at the position. Guys can make great leaps when you take them and mold them and teach them technique and I think this guy is going to ascend. I think this guy is a good player right now even before we get him and we are looking forward to developing him and watching him grow.
Q: How hard were you pushing for that DeAngelo Hall trade and what does he do to your defense as a whole?
Ryan: DeAngelo Hall, when I see him I get a swagger. I get an excitement and I feel good about it. It’s his attitude and everything about him says you just can’t wait for the season. You can really feel good about what you have in front of you when you see the eyes of DeAngelo and what he brings to the table. I’m just a coach but I’m excited because I know what he’s going to bring and I know what it’s going to be for us on defense.
Q: Two guys that came in this off-season but not a lot of people have talked about are DT William Joseph and DE Kalimba Edwards. What do have there?
Ryan: I think we have two guys in my mind that are proven players that we’re excited about. It’s not every day that you can add players that have been in the league and have been successful in this league. We added two fine players here.
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