On 3rd day, brass focuses on defense

Don’t let the offensive guard picked Friday fool you. The Raiders went into the draft to address their defensive issues, and four of the five players they drafted Saturday were on that side of the football.

“You gotta understand we have a defensive head coach and a defensiveminded general manager,” general manager Reggie Mckenzie said. “So let’s win on defense.”

After Utah guard Tony Bergstrom was the only Raiders pick in the first three rounds, they got an aggressive outside linebacker in San Diego State’s Miles Burris in the fourth round.

Burris had eight sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and 78 tackles for the Aztecs last season when he was a first-team All-mountain West selection for the second straight season.

“I’m a very versatile player, and I pride myself on being tough and playing through every game and practice no matter how I feel and no matter what’s going on with my body,” Burris said. “I’m an explosive and powerful player, and I just love the game. I love the violence of it, and I just love to go out and compete.”

The Raiders needed a pass rusher after they released linebacker Kamerion Wimbley in a costcutting move. Starters Aaron Curry and newcomer Philip Wheeler have only 7.5 sacks in 107 career games.

Mckenzie, in his first draft as Raiders general

Age:

College: Of note: Born in Angola and also lived in France and Brazil before going to Canada. … Was one of top 15 prospects for Canadian draft. … 34½-inch arms. … Another basketball player who came to football late.