The Raiders have announced the signing of third-round pick Shilique Calhoun, the final member of their 2016 draft class to officially join the organization. Calhoun, the 75th overall selection, had a highly productive three-year run along the defensive line at Michigan State, where he piled up 44 tackles for loss and 27 sacks. He’ll now join an Oakland team that spent the meat of the offseason making a concerted effort to improve its defense through both free agency and the draft. Along with Calhoun, the Raiders added first-round safety Karl Joseph and second-round defensive linemen Jihad Ward via the draft. Prior to that, they doled out significant money to veteran linebackers Bruce Irvin and Aldon Smith, cornerback Sean Smith and safety Reggie Nelson.
Here’s the complete list of drafted rookies secured by the Raiders:
- 1-14: Karl Joseph, S (West Virginia)
- 2-44: Jihad Ward, DE (Illinois)
- 3-75: Shilique Calhoun, DE (Michigan State)
- 4-100: Connor Cook, QB (Michigan State)
- 5-143: DeAndre Washington, RB (Texas Tech)
- 6-194: Cory James, LB (Colorado State)
- 7-234: Vadal Alexander, OL (LSU)