The NFL draft turned out to be a black Saturday for former ASU quarterback Andrew Walter.
The Oakland Raiders drafted Walter with the fifth pick in the third round. He was the 69th overall selection.
"Our scouts really had him rated as the best quarterback in the draft," Raiders coach Norv Turner said in a statement. "The things he does well fit into our system."
The pick makes sense for Oakland, which acquired deep-ball threat Randy Moss in an off-season trade. Many scouts said Walter throws a better long ball than other draft-eligible quarterbacks. Chances are Walter will be able to showcase his arm with Moss and Jerry Porter at his side.
"I think that's exactly my strength. It's what I did in college," Walter told KTVU-TV, a Fox affiliate in Oakland. "I'm stoked. It's pretty sweet."
Said Raiders analyst Jerry Knaak: "Everybody says he had the biggest arm in the draft. This guy loves to throw the long ball."
In the off-season, Oakland re-signed quarterback Kerry Collins, who is nearly the same height as Walter and employs a style similar to Walter's.
"He's a prototype of Collins but he's bigger in height and weight," Raiders great Jim Otto said. "Watching the film on him, he was throwing the ball all over the lot with ease. That's the type of football player we like, and that's the type of football we play."
Knowing Walter was coming off shoulder surgery, NFL analysts were unsure how high Walter would be selected.
Walter was the fifth quarterback taken behind Utah's Alex Smith, California's Aaron Rodgers, Auburn's Jason Campbell and Akron's Charlie Frye.
"This guy knows how to get the ball up the field, and he knows how to get it across the goal line as well," Knaak said of Walter.
Walter figures to head into training camp as the Raiders' No. 3 quarterback. He'll likely challenge former Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo for the backup spot. Rich Gannon is expected to retire.
"You look at our quarterback situation, with Kerry and Tui and a young guy ... " Turner said. "[Walter] can learn from the guys in front of him, and he can grow in the system before he has to play. You have the best of all situations."
On Day 1, Oakland selected Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington with its first-round pick and Houston cornerback Stanford Routt in the second round.
Draft roundup
The early part of the draft went as expected.
San Francisco selected Smith with the top pick. Auburn running back Ronnie Brown went to Miami at the No. 2 spot. Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards went to Cleveland at No. 3.
Rodgers fell to the No. 24 spot, where he was picked by Green Bay. He was rumored to be the top pick just a couple weeks before the draft.
Former ASU center Drew Hodgdon was taken in the fifth round by Houston. Former ASU defensive end Jimmy Verdon went in the seventh round to New Orleans.
Reach the reporter at matt.reinick@asu.edu.
