Darrius Heyward-Bey Can't Catch, but At Least He's Fast

The Oakland Raiders shocked everyone this off-season when they made Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey the seventh-overall pick in the NFL draft, and gave him a contract guaranteeing him at least $23.5 million. If you're still not sure why Raiders owner Al Davis fell in love with Heyward-Bey, the explanation is contained in the above video.

We all know that Raiders owner Al Davis loves speed, and in Sunday's game against the Giants, Heyward-Bey showed just how fast he is. After Raiders running back Justin Fargas fumbled, Giants safety C.C. Brown scooped it up, and Heyward-Bey gave chase.

Brown is not a slow man, but Heyward-Bey ran him down easily: Not only did Heyward-Bey catch Brown from behind, but he actually over-ran him and ended up missing him completely. Heyward-Bey ran about 70 yards in the time it took Brown to run about 50 yards.

The play was called back because the officials ruled that Fargas's forward progress had been stopped before he dropped the ball, but the video still wonderfully illustrates what Davis loves about Heyward-Bey: He's really, really fast.

And the fact that this is the first opportunity I've had to write about Heyward-Bey this season wonderfully illustrates what a ridiculous draft choice he was: Heyward-Bey has all of two catches this season, and he's one more example of what a mess the Raiders are. But at least he's fast.