Raiders Insider: Raiders have special plan for new safety

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin's primary requirement for any safety the team was going to draft was that he had better be an asset on special teams.

Welcome aboard, Tyvon Branch. The Raiders have been looking for an explosive kick returner since their last kickoff return for a touchdown on Dec. 28, 2003, by Doug Gabriel.

They might have found that and more in the first of their two fourth-round draft picks. Branch played cornerback at Connecticut but will move to safety for the Raiders.

But expect him to make an impact on special teams first. Branch averaged 28.9 yards on kickoff returns for the Huskies in 2007. The Raiders allowed their kick returner, Chris Carr, to leave as a free agent. Dominic Rhodes, who also returned kicks last year, was released Monday.

Branch said he "really" likes playing on special teams, even when he's not returning kicks.

"I did all the cover teams," Branch said.

He can expect to do that as a rookie for the Raiders.

"We hope he's going to be a fabulous special-teams player," Kiffin said in an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio this week.

"He's got all the tools to do that, and he's done that, as he was (the gunner) and then also a kick returner, too. So we may look to put him back there as well, so there are a lot of roles he can help us with."

The Raiders led the NFL in net punting at 41.1 yards per attempt. But following a knee injury to special-teams ace Jarrod Cooper, the Raiders' punt coverage allowed the first two punt returns for touchdowns against Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler in his eight seasons with the team.

One of the reasons was missed tackles. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay wrote before the draft that Branch had the best closing burst of any cornerback available.

"He's a hard-hitting young man," defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said. "He's really fun to watch. We picked him off a lot of tapes. We've seen just about every game they've played this year, and really we're excited about him, and I know our special- teams coach, Brian Schneider, is really excited about his return ability also."

Giving back

Raiders fullback Oren O'Neal recently contributed $1,000 to the athletic department at Stutt-gart (Ark.) High School.

O'Neal was the Raiders' nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, which honors a player's charity work and play. Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor won the award.

The NFL donates $1,000 on behalf of each team's candidate to their charity of choice.

Youth Camp

The Eighth Annual Raiders Youth Skills Camp is scheduled for June 7-8 at team headquarters in Alameda.

Raider coaches and players and area high school coaches serve as instructors, and it is often one of the first public appearances for Raiders rookies. Visit www.raiders.com or www.raidersforkids.com for more information.

About the writer:

• Read Jason Jones' Raiders blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.