NFL DRAFT : Raiders Obtain Williams : Pro football: Team addresses need at running back by acquiring a veteran, drafts defensive players.

The Raiders raised some eyebrows Sunday when they ignored their need for a running back and used their first two picks in the draft to select defensive players.

Actually, the Raiders had already obtained their running back late Saturday night when they agreed in principle to a one-year deal with veteran running back Harvey Williams, who has spent the last three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

With Williams in the fold, the Raiders selected Michigan State linebacker Rob Fredrickson with their first-round pick, the 22nd choice overall, then traded up in the second round to get James Folston, a defensive end/linebacker from Northeast Louisiana.

“I’m really happy,” Williams said. “This is something I’ve dreamed about. It took three years, but I’m finally in L.A.”

Williams comes to the Raiders from the Chiefs to replace the man who rushed in the opposite direction.

The loss of Marcus Allen last season to Kansas City left the Raiders averaging just 89.1 yards on the ground, second lowest total in the AFC.

Rookie Greg Robinson, an eighth-round draft choice, filled in admirably, gaining a team-leading 591 yards. But a knee injury in the Raiders’ 12th game ended his season.

He revealed Sunday night that he faces a long road back from reconstructive surgery on the knee.

Asked if he might not be back until October, Robinson replied, “October sounds pretty good.”

Los Angeles sounds pretty good to Williams, who gained only 149 yards in 42 carries last season for an average of 3.5. His longest gain was 19 yards.

“I think I could have carried the ball more in Kansas City,” Williams said, “but I was not given a true opportunity. I was not in the game. I was not in the flow. What could I do?

“They already had Barry Word and Christian Okoye. I don’t know why they even drafted me.”

The irony of trading places with Allen was not lost on Williams.

“It’s kind of funny,” he said. “But I don’t look at it as an individual thing. Marcus is happy in Kansas City and I’m happy here.’

Both of the Raiders’ draft choices Sunday were also happy.

The Raiders had reportedly been interested in Mississippi defensive lineman Tim Bowens, but he went two slots ahead of the Raiders on the first round, picked up by the Miami Dolphins.

But the Raiders say Fredrickson, a 6-3, 242-pounder, is the man they wanted all along. He is the first linebacker taken in the first round by the Raiders.

“We’re excited about having Rob Fredrickson,” Coach Art Shell said. “He’s a guy with a lot of talent. He can play just about any of the linebacker positions. He’s a good athlete with the skills and ability to cover somebody out of the backfield and we’re happy about that.”

Especially after the Raiders put their starting middle linebacker, Joe Kelly, on waivers earlier in the week.

That would appear to leave Greg Biekert, a second-year man out of Colorado, with the starting job in the middle.

Asked if there was a chance of re-signing Kelly at a lower price, Shell said, “I don’t think we’re going in that direction. We feel very good about Greg Biekert.”

Frederickson, a third-team All-American last season and a starter in every Michigan State game over the last two years, feels very good about getting the chance to put on the silver and black.

“I think I can contribute right away,” he said.

It’s been reported that Fredrickson spends his spare time showing off his talent as an Elvis impersonator. But on Sunday he said that wasn’t true.

The Raiders don’t care as long as he can do his Ted Hendricks impersonation.

Fredrickson says he grew up a Raider fan, his hero being Hendricks, the linebacker who became known as the Mad Stork.

Fredrickson concedes the men he’ll be seeing coming out of professional backfields are going to be far more imposing than those he saw coming out of collegiate backfields.

“They are going to be faster, quicker and more experienced,” he said, “but I can adjust.”

Fredrickson, speaking by phone after learning he’d been tabbed by the Raiders, wasn’t ruling out anything.

Asked if he could play middle linebacker, he said, “I’ve never played in the middle, but I can learn. I can adapt.”

Shell also wasn’t ruling anything out.

“We feel he has the capability of playing all three positions,” Shell said. “He has a lot of versatility for us. . . . He’s a very bright guy and we feel he can come in and make a contribution. But, he’s not the starter, by no means.”

On the second round, the Raiders worried that they would lose the opportunity to get Fulston, a 6-2 3/4, 242-pounder, who, the Raiders believe, can play the run and be an effective pass rusher despite his relatively small size for a defensive lineman.

“You target all of the guys you want and they suddenly disappear off the board,” Shell said. “It was time to move.”

So, the Raiders moved, looking upward in the second round to get Fulston.

First, they tried to deal with the Dallas Cowboys. With the 26th pick in the second round, the Raiders talked to Dallas about the 16th selection in that round.

When those talks fell through, the Raiders worked out a deal with the Minnesota Vikings, who had the 23rd selection in that round. In return for exchanging picks, the Raiders gave Minnesota the second of their two fourth-round selections, the 125th pick overall.

With the retirement of Howie Long and the demotion of Greg Townsend to part-timer last season, the Raiders were anxious to add another body to the defensive line.

Told that the Raiders had traded up to get him, Fulston seemed generally surprised and impressed.

“Really?” he said. “I can put on some weight if they need me to.”

The draft will conclude with five more rounds today, the Raiders having seven picks spread over that span.