Raiders like rookie tight end's progress

NAPA, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders drafted Brandon Myers to help ease the blocking workload of fellow tight end Zach Miller, but halfway through the preseason it's been the rookie's pass-catching skills that have stood out most.

Myers, a sixth-round selection and the last player the Raiders grabbed in this year's NFL draft, has been one of the team's biggest surprises of training camp. He leads the team in receptions (six), receiving yardage (104) and scored his first touchdown in last week's 21-20 loss to San Francisco.

His catches and yardage are more than Miller and projected starting wide receivers Javon Walker and Darrius Heyward-Bey have combined this preseason, though to be fair he's played more than the others with the exception of Heyward-Bey, the Raiders' first-round draft pick.

"For us, we needed to get a third tight end who could take some of the stuff off of Zach, and I think Brandon has allowed us to do that," Oakland coach Tom Cable said. "Where he's showing up is catching the football more and more. There was kind of an unknown expectation in regards to that. He certainly has proven that he can do those things, and that's just who he is."

Myers is leaving nothing to chance.

He caught three more passes in practice Wednesday then had to hustle to dinner after spending nearly 90 minutes in the trainer's room getting an IV after cramping up at the end of the workout. Following a quick meal, the rookie from Iowa was off to a round of meetings.

His recent performances in practice and in the preseason have made Myers a topic of discussion in Oakland, but the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder shrugs off the hype.

"I guess that was just what people pegged me as, the blocker," Myers said. "I caught passes in college so it's not like this is the first time I ever caught balls. I've tried to be more consistent and that's helped me out a lot."

Myers put up modest numbers in college - 56 receptions, 665 yards and nine touchdowns - but was an All-Big Ten pick as a senior when he was third on Iowa in catches and helped the Hawkeyes reach the Outback Bowl.

He didn't garner much attention during the Scouting Combine and was considered by many to be a longshot in the draft.

The Raiders, however, saw a versatile, agile player who once scored five touchdowns in a high school game and helped lead his high school basketball team to a 27-0 record and the Iowa Class 2A state championship as a senior.

In four weeks of training camp, Myers has proven to be all Oakland's coaching staff envisioned and then some. That's encouraging news for Miller, who led the Raiders with 56 receptions and 778 receiving yards despite being the constant focus of opposing defensive coordinators.

If Myers continues the way he's been playing, it's likely Miller's numbers will go up in 2009.

"I feel like we both bring different aspects to the game but of course I'd like to be like him," Myers said. "He's an elite tight end in the league. I'm still just trying to get a spot on the roster so we haven't really thought about anything like that."

Notes: The Raiders released WR Samie Parker and placed CB Jason Horton on injured reserve. The team also signed cornerback Michael Hawkins and defensive lineman Joe Cohen.