McFadden quick to impress Kiffin

ALAMEDA -- The Raiders conducted their first organized practices of the year over the weekend, otherwise known as running back Darren McFadden's coming-out party amidst a sea of players from which few will make the opening-day roster.

The Raiders spent inordinate time evaluating McFadden in the months leading up to the NFL draft last month. Even so, there is something to be said for seeing McFadden in person, Kiffin said.

"The quickness shows up so fast, he just looks so much quicker than everybody round him," coach Lane Kiffin said. "He's so fun to work with because he's a football guy. He loves it. You can see it in his eyes.

"He wants to learn. He's out there and if pads were on, you would have heard a lot of noise from him as well."

McFadden is but one of five Raiders draftees seeking to open eyes and make waves on the field the next four months.

Arman Shields and Chaz Schilens were selected in the fourth and seventh round, respectively, based mainly upon their above-average speed and potential as big-play wide receivers.

Both made several nice catches during the team's first organized practices. It's not a stretch to say both looked more impressive than Carlos Francis and Johnnie Morant, receivers the Raiders selected in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, in the 2004 NFL draft and released last year after three unproductive seasons.

In Shields and Schilens, Kiffin sees two potentially big, fast targets for second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell to connect with, when he isn't throwing to Ronald Curry, Javon Walker and Drew Carter.

"Shields would have gone much higher if it hadn't been for him missing (most of) his senior year," Kiffin said. Schilens opened plenty of eyes with an impressive pre-draft workout. The Raiders took note.

"His offseason workouts were (impressive), and we really felt he improved enough to take a chance on him," Kiffin said.

Schilens said his potential transcends his pedestrian statistics during his career at San Diego State.

"I always felt that I was a player who got better year to year and game to game," Schilens said. "I feel like I'm constantly learning."

Tyvon Branch played mostly cornerback at Connecticut. He now is working at safety and kick returner, his likely ticket to a roster spot this season, given the departure of Chris Carr and Dominic Rhodes.

"They lost both their returners, so I'm looking forward to stepping up and competing for that job," Branch said.

NOTES

The Raiders worked out San Ramon Valley High graduate Sam Keller on Friday. The quarterback out of Nebraska worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week but was not offered a contract. The Raiders already have five QBs on their roster -- JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter, Jeff Otis, Erik Meyer and Brian White.

Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is sporting a new hairdo for the first time in years. His long, flowing mane is gone, replaced by a close-cropped look. He donated much of his hair to Locks Of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children with hair loss as a result of any medical condition.

The Raiders will host their 8th Annual Youth Skills Camp on June 7-8 at their year-round facility in Alameda. The event is open to boys and girls 8-14. Raiders coaches and players, as well as Bay Area college and high school coaches, will spearhead the instructing. Registration forms are available on the Raiders Web site at www.raiders.com.

The Raiders re-launched their Spanish-language Web site, Raidersenespanol.com.

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