Wilson drafted by Raiders in fourth round

Former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson was drafted in the fourth round Saturday.
Former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson was drafted in the fourth round Saturday.

— The Oakland Raiders drafted former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson with the 15th pick of the fourth round Saturday.

Wilson, who was taken with the 112th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, joins former Razorbacks running back Darren McFadden in Oakland.

The Raiders traded last year's starter, Carson Palmer, to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason but acquired former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012 before another rookie quarterback named Wilson, former Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, beat him for the starting job.

Wilson was the sixth quarterback taken in the draft. He followed former USC quarterback Matt Barkley and former Syracuse signal caller Ryan Nassib as quarterbacks to be taken in the fourth round.

Former Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel was the first quarterback to be taken in the draft. The Buffalo Bills drafted him with the 16th pick in the first round Thursday. The New York Jets drafted Geno Smith in the second round and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Mike Glennon in the third before four quarterbacks were taken in the fourth.

Barkley was the first player to have his name called Saturday, when the Philadelphia Eagles took him with the first pick of the fourth round. Nassib was drafted by the Giants with the 13th pick of the round, two picks before Wilson. Former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones became the fourth quarterback to go in the fourth round when he was drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers with the 115th overall pick (18th in the round).

Wilson broke 27 school records in five seasons at Arkansas. Among his accolades, he is the Razorbacks' all-time leader in career passing yards with 7,765.

In 2011, Wilson took over under center at Arkansas after Ryan Mallett was drafted by the New England Patriots. Wilson helped lead Arkansas to 11 wins, which is tied for the most by the Razorbacks in a season, including a Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State.

Despite a 4-8 season in 2012, Wilson threw for 3,387 yards and 21 touchdowns, completing 62 percent of his passes.

In the 11-win season, Wilson threw for 3,638 yards and 24 touchdowns. The Greenwood native broke the school record for most passing yards in a single game with 510 in a 42-38 win against Texas A&M.

Wilson joins Flynn and former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor as signal callers on the Raiders' roster.

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