Raiders sign all four seventh-round picks

Rookies have been signing with their NFL teams for a while now, but the Raiders had yet to sign any of their draft picks as of yet. Today, that changed as the team began to announce the signings of their late-round selections.

First came the announcement that the team had signed former North Carolina running back Elijah Hood:

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed seventh-round draft pick RB Elijah Hood, the club announced Friday.

Hood was selected 242nd overall by the Raiders in last month’s draft. He played in 34 games with 25 starts over three years at North Carolina, totaling 2,580 yards on 431 carries (6.0 avg.) with 29 touchdowns and added 38 receptions for 204 yards (5.4 avg.). The six-foot, 230-pounder finished sixth in UNC history with 29 career touchdowns. He also ranks ninth in school history with 2,580 career rushing yards.

As a junior, the Charlotte, N.C., native rushed for 858 yards on 145 attempts (5.9 avg.) with eight touchdowns and set career highs in receptions (25) and receiving yards (142). In 2015, he recorded the second most rushing yards in school history with 1,463 on 219 carries (6.7 avg.), adding 17 scores as a sophomore.

Next up, the Raiders inked tackle Jylan Ware.

The Oakland Raiders have signed seventh-round draft pick T Jylan Ware, the club announced Friday.

Ware was selected 231st overall by the Raiders in last month’s draft. He appeared in 34 games at Alabama State, starting in 31 of them and helping lead the Hornets to Southwestern Athletic Conference rushing titles in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

A native of Valley, Ala., Ware was a 2015 All-Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason selection as a junior in 2015, and helped guide an offense during his sophomore year to 436.0 yards per game while averaging 30 points per game. The first Hornet drafted by the Raiders in club history, Ware also became the first Alabama State player drafted in the NFL since Michael Coe in 2007.

Next was the third seventh-rounder to sign, safety out of Washington State, Shalom Luani.

The Oakland Raiders have signed seventh-round draft pick S Shalom Lunai, the club announced Friday.

Luani was selected in the seventh round (221st overall) by the Raiders in last month’s draft. He spent two seasons at City College of San Francisco before playing out his college career at Washington State for two seasons, appearing in 49 games collectively, and starting all 25 games played during his time with the Huskies. He totaled 276 tackles (198 solo), three sacks, 19 interceptions, 32 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries over his career.

As a senior, the 6-foot, 202-pounder started all 12 games, tying for fifth in the PAC-12 with four interceptions, adding six passes defensed and one forced fumble. He was named to All-PAC-12 Conference First Team in 2016 and was honorable mention All-PAC-12 as a junior in 2015.

The Masausi, American Samoa, native also played soccer for American Samoa’s first FIFA-sanctioned win against Tonga in 2011, scoring two times and making him the territory’s joint top goal scorer all time.

The last of the seventh-rounders to ink his contract was defensive tackle Treyvon Hester out of Toledo.

The Oakland Raiders have signed seventh-round draft pick DT Treyvon Hester, the club announced Friday.

Hester was selected 244th overall by the Raiders in last month’s draft. He played in 47 games with 42 start over his four-year career at Toledo, totaling 161 tackles (77 solo), 13 sacks and four forced fumbles. The six-foot-three, 300-pounder earned All-MAC Second Team honors in 2014 and 2016 and All-MAC Third Team honors in 2013.

As a senior in 2016, Hester recorded 39 tackles (22), five sacks and one force fumble. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native was also named to the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player) and Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) in 2016.

Welcome to the Raider Nation, seventh rounders!