Why It Is Too Early to Grade Oakland Raiders' First-Round Pick D.J. Hayden

With Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden having been placed on injured reserve Wednesday, his rookie NFL campaign has come to an early end.

With the NFL being a "what have you done for me lately" league, there will certainly be a wealth of premature conclusions being drawn about both Hayden as a player and the Raiders' decision to select him as early as they did in the draft.

After Hayden had experienced some struggles this season, many of the evaluations of Hayden's play are certain to focus on his negatives in criticizing what was an extremely important first-round pick for the Raiders organization.

Simply put, it is far too early to tell either way.

Heading into the 2013 NFL draft, there were plenty of questions surrounding Hayden's health after suffering a scary injury during his final season at the University of Houston.

Just a few months after the injury, he was medically cleared by NFL team doctors, and his football talent again became the primary point of analysis in his pro projections and evaluations.

At that point, NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock moved Hayden up to the No. 1 spot in his cornerback rankings, showing just how highly Hayden's ability was considered—and deservedly so.

Throughout his collegiate career, Hayden established himself as a cornerback who could do it all, excelling in both zone and man coverage while possessing the necessary ball skills in covering receivers and contributing in run support as well.

Undoubtedly, Hayden was the kind of player the Raiders could use to rebuild a secondary that needed help in the worst way.

On draft day, general manager Reggie McKenzie traded down from the third spot to the 12th in the first round, still getting his original target in Hayden while picking up an additional second-round selection in the process.

All things considered, the Raiders had worked the top of the draft as best they could. Of course, Raiders fans have yet to see the returns from that early-round draft strategy, but it hardly means that they never will.

Playing primarily as the Raiders' third cornerback in taking the right outside spot in nickel sets, Hayden struggled more than many would have liked to have seen this season, but much of that can be attributed to last offseason.

After the draft, Hayden fell behind by missing the Raiders' OTAs as well as much of training camp and Oakland's preseason games.

Near the end of May, the Raiders announced that Hayden would miss the remainder of the Raiders' OTAs with an abdominal injury. He was not cleared for contact until well into training camp, and did not see preseason action until Oakland's third game.

These kinds of offseason activities are paramount to any rookie's chances of making an immediate transition to the NFL game, and for the most part, Hayden missed out on all of them.

Considering how long he was kept off the football field and from participating in contact play, Hayden's early struggles really aren't that concerning from a long-term perspective.

The risk of any first-round prospect not living up to expectations is always there, no matter who the player is, and Hayden is no exception.

However, labeling the Hayden pick as a bad one on the part of the Raiders is incredibly premature at this point and has the potential to be flat-out wrong.

Hayden has played in just eight games as a pro, missing the entire slate of OTAs beforehand. As with any prospect, a proper amount of time for a full evaluation is necessary.

The talent that made Hayden a first-round selection hasn't gone anywhere. He should have a full offseason of work ahead of him to adjust to the NFL, add strength and work on a few aspects of his game along the way.

Would the Raiders and their fans have preferred to see Hayden reach his full potential right out of the gate? Of course.

At the same time, this Raiders continue to build with the future in mind. A quick fix is never the answer, nor was it likely the aim in this situation.

If it turns out that Hayden starts to make an impact next season, his difficult rookie season does little to diminish the value of having a player with the necessary tools to be an elite shutdown cornerback.

Overall, we don't know what player Hayden will become at this point, but that's not to be considered a negative.

With instant analysis becoming such a trend within the mass fan following that the NFL generates, be-all, end-all evaluations are far too often made and based upon small sample sizes and single moments.

The football community is constantly in a rush to label one player as a bust and someone else as a star. In both cases, much more time is required before either argument can be definitively made.

The case of Hayden is no different. While he may have struggled throughout his rookie year, the rare skill set that he brings leaves the door wide open for him to make the necessary progression and to start to become the player he has the potential to be as soon as next season.