He'll get plenty of time for that starting on May 8, when the Raiders host their first minicamp and get a chance to see the vapor trail of their first-round draft pick wearing silver and black for the first time.

"I just think Al Davis and the rest of the staff wanted me," Heyward-Bey said. "They didn't care if I was the seventh pick or the 15th pick. They just wanted me to be their guy and I'm happy they chose me. I really can't worry about what everybody is saying. All I can do is worry about me and put the effort I put in to be the best player I can be."

In the aftermath of Heyward-Bey's selection ahead of Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree and Missouri's Jeremy Maclin came plenty of chirping among draft gurus that the Raiders had made a considerable reach.

Among those was the NFL Network's Mike Mayock, who more than two weeks before had correctly forecast the Raiders would select Heyward-Bey because he was the best height-weight-speed pick in the draft.

Once that pick came to fruition, Mayock and virtually every other draft pundit roundly criticized the pick, saying Heyward-Bey, despite his physical gifts, hadn't produced sufficiently at Maryland to merit the selection.

Heyward-Bey caught just 42 passes for 607 yards. He had just 13 touchdowns for his career, as opposed to the 41 Crabtree had in two years at Texas Tech. Crabtree, reasoned Raiders coach Tom Cable, had the advantage of playing in a spread offense that inflated his statistics.

At Maryland, Heyward-Bey was in a more conservative offense, but at the same time one that had a pro-style system that in theory would give him a head start in the NFL.

"I understood the situation I had," Heyward-Bey said. "The quarterbacks we had were good friends of mine, they tried their best to get me the ball. I just tell them to throw it up the best they can and I'll bring it down.

"Having four quarterbacks in three years was tough, but I tried to build chemistry with anybody I had."

Barring injury, the Raiders don't plan on playing revolving quarterbacks. JaMarcus Russell has the sort of deep arm which should bring out the best in the rookie receiver.

"Run full speed and try and get under the ball and try to make a play,"

Heyward-Bey said. "Running a pro-style offense in Maryland is going to help me transition to the NFL game with the formations and the play calls."