RAIDERS DRAFT : Linebacker Question Gets Answered in a Flurry

The Raiders had never taken a linebacker in the first round of the NFL draft.

The team not only broke that tradition, it went to the other extreme, selecting linebackers with three of its six picks to shore up a position that figured to be a trouble spot in 1994.

Using a seventh-round pick obtained from the Dallas Cowboys as a past consideration for last season’s Elvis Patterson deal, the Raiders on Monday selected Rob Holmberg, a converted linebacker from Penn State who had formerly played wide receiver and tight end.

In the first two rounds of the draft, conducted on Sunday, the Raiders had selected linebackers Rob Fredrickson of Michigan State and James Folston of Northeast Louisiana. Although Folston is listed as a defensive lineman, the Raiders project him as a linebacker.

That’s a position the Raiders needed to bolster even before putting middle linebacker Joe Kelly on waivers last week because of salary cap considerations. Winston Moss is still the clear standout there.

Coach Art Shell acknowledged Monday that the status of running back Greg Robinson, who underwent reconstructive knee surgery in February, is uncertain for 1994. “The trainers have told us we may get him midway through the season,” Shell said. “His rehab is going along very well. We’re not counting on him. If we do get him, it’s a plus.”

Former Kansas City running back Harvey Williams agreed to a one-year deal late Saturday, and the Raiders added more depth at that position Monday.

A look at the second day of the Raiders’ draft:

THIRD ROUND

Calvin Jones, running back, Nebraska, 5-11, 212--”He has great acceleration,” Shell said. “We feel he is very good around the goal line and in short-yardage situations. And he does have the ability to catch the ball, (although) he hasn’t been thrown the ball a whole lot.”

FOURTH ROUND

Austin Robbins, defensive lineman, North Carolina, 6-6, 300--Shell: “He’s a 4.9 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) guy. A defensive guy at 300 pounds who can run that fast, that tells you what he’s capable of doing. We feel he can line up at the defensive end spot and learn how to play there.”

FIFTH ROUND

Roosevelt Patterson, offensive lineman, Alabama, 6-3, 310--Shell: “Excellent feet. Good quickness. He comes off the ball with a pretty good explosion. The key ingredient here is that he has feet and he has size. You’ve got a combination of those things and a desire to excel, you’ve got a chance to make it at this level.

“We’ve got to turn him into a player. Right now, we’re going to leave him at tackle.”

SEVENTH ROUND

Rob Holmberg, linebacker, Penn State, 6-3, 225--Shell: “Speed. This guy can run. . . . We feel he’s an outstanding project for us that we want to work with and try to turn him into an outstanding football player.” Shell said Holmberg might be given a chance at tight end.