Silver and Black Report

With the 100^th selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected Tyvon Branch. The Connecticut Huskie has since become the starting strong safety, an up-and-coming defender in the AFC and one of the more reliable talents on the Silver & Black’s youthful secondary.

SBReport.net was able to chat with Branch, get a look into his career, especially the start of it; when he was a draft prospect that made headlines with his impressive 40-time and athleticism.

SBREPORT: Thinking back when you were a prospect entering the draft, what were your thoughts about what round you would be selected in, and what teams showed the most interest in you?

TYVON BRANCH: Wow, making me go way back it seems. There were a lot of teams that I was able to speak with. My agent – Buddy Baker and all of the Excusive Sports Group team – put me in front of most of the teams. The interest really started rising after the combine when I ran what I did. My dream was never to play for a certain team, but to play in the NFL. Now that I am here, I am trying to make the most of it.

The speedy safety sprinted upward on draft boards after he posted a 4.31-second time in the 40-yard dash, best of all the defensive backs at the combine in 2008.

And as a rookie, the Raiders looked at him as a diverse asset to the football club.

SB: Oakland had plans for you to play on special teams in your first season, maybe handle some returns: why has that not panned out?

BRANCH: I did do a lot of that my rookie year, but as my playing time has increased on defense we decided to scale back some of the special teams duties. Plus, we have some great guys out there now.

SB: Back when you were a rookie, your former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan stated, “We think he’s going to be a safety for us. He’s going to be a good, solid player. [Branch] is a hard-hitting young man. He’s really fun to watch.” What does that do for a young player when you project well onto coaches and they praise you like that?

BRANCH: It is great that others can see the hard work that you put in getting to this level. The key is to live up to those expectations and continue to impress.

Branch impressed, especially after playing through a hand injury early in his rookie year. Unfortunately, that season was cut short when the physical safety injured his shoulder and was placed on the reserve list.

SB: In 2008, you recorded your first career interception during a 23-8 victory at Kansas City. The 36-yard return set up a Raider score. What are your recollections of that day and the play?

BRANCH: That is a great memory. My first NFL interception is something I will always think back on. I feel like we were in the right defense and things just happen to fall into place. Let’s hope we can increase the turnover numbers this year.

The Raiders have a lot of youth in the defensive backfield. And Branch is just one of the many talents that will be looked upon to make this defense one of the better ones in the AFC West. Last season, he tallied 124 tackles (10^th most in the NFL), 1 sack and 2 forced fumbles. When asked about the raw skill in the secondary and his outlook for the unit in 2010, Branch stated, “We will be a much more cohesive unit. As you said, we are still young but we are starting to really play as a team and learning to play off of each other.”

SB: How would you describe your style of play?

BRANCH: Tough. I love to go in there and knock heads off!

• Come back to SBReport.net to read part two of the exclusive interview with Tyvon Branch. In the next installment, the safety talks about playing for Tom Cable, his front row view of Richard Seymour in action, the off-season and more.

You can follow him at: twitter.com/tyvonbranch or become a part of his crew at: www.facebook.com/tyvonbranch.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist