Chaz Schilens once turned his back on Major League Baseball's draft. Four years later, he was sure the NFL draft was turning its back on him.
Six rounds passed and nothing. Teams were calling his agent, not to say he was their next pick, but that they'd like to sign the wide receiver as an undrafted free agent just as soon as the draft was over.
"I had quite a few calls," Schilens said. "... After it got midway through the sixth round, I just went outside and played with my family, my little sister."
Schilens tuned out a little too soon. With no head's up given, the Raiders drafted Schilens with the 226th pick of the 252-slot draft two Sundays ago. He made his practice debut Friday with the rest of the first-year players at the team's rookie minicamp.
The Detroit Tigers can officially scrap their hopes of signing the 1,000th pick (34th round) of the 2003 baseball draft. He's a Raider as long as they'll have him.
"The scout from Detroit still talks to me, still calls me and tries to get me to do it," said Schilens, who played baseball as a freshman for San Diego State coach Tony Gwynn.
"But, no. I told him football is what I'm going to be doing and that's what I've been working for."
Schilens emerged as a go-to player among 41 drafted, undrafted or unsigned rookies Friday. He went high for a catch in front of cornerback Brian Williams on one sideline, then got both feet in on a sideline pass later.
Then again, being a seventh-round pick, he isn't exactly NFL-ready. He slipped and fell on one pass route, drawing a loud correction from new receivers coach James Lofton.
Schilens missed part of his senior season with a stress fracture in his left foot. So yeah, there's some serious proving to do.
"He really impressed us in some workouts that he had after the season," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "His film wasn't as good necessarily, but we really felt he improved enough to take a chance on him."
He won't find it easy to make the opening-day roster. Last season, the Raiders carried just four receivers throughout the season.
Oakland picked a receiver in the seventh round of the previous two drafts. In 2006, Kevin McMahan was cut after training camp. Last year's pick, Jonathan Holland, broke his collarbone in the offseason and has yet to be medically cleared to play.
At least Schilens can say he was drafted in two sports. If nothing else, catching line drives may have prepared him to play catch with Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
"I hope he doesn't take one of my fingers off," Schilens said.
McFadden debut
No. 4 overall draft pick Darren McFadden practiced in his No. 20 jersey, showing speed and burst in both rushing attempts and pass routes.
Contact isn't allowed in offseason workouts, so plays were whistled dead when tackles seemed imminent - not that many defenders on hand looked capable of doing so in an open field.
"It's so easy for him to run really fast," Kiffin said. "He's running by people and it doesn't look like it's really hard to do. Reggie (Bush) was that way. They don't even have to go to the next level until they really need it."
Grab a roster
The Raiders invited 17 unsigned and undrafted players for a weekend tryout, including former Stanford cornerback David Lofton - who is James Lofton's son.
Former Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller of Danville was a notable invitee. Other locals included three ex-Cal players - defensive back Brandon Hampton, linebacker Greg Van Hoesen and punter Andrew Larson - and ex-Stanford cornerback Tim Sims.
Get a haircut
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan parted with his long hair, shaving it down to a buzz cut to benefit Locks of Love.
Somewhere out there, a young medical patient is walking around with a wild do.
"Why not?" Ryan said. "Clean my act up."
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