ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed second-round draft pick DL Jihad Ward, the club announced Wednesday.
Ward was selected 44th overall by the Raiders in last month's draft. He played two seasons at Illinois after transferring from Globe Institute of Technology in New York, N.Y. At Illinois, he started all 25 games, totaling 104 tackles, 4.5 sacks, three passes defensed, three forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He posted 81 tackles and 10 sacks at Globe Tech.
As a senior, the 6-foot-6, 295-pounder started all 12 games on the defensive line, playing both defensive end and defensive tackle. He tallied 53 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by conference coaches and media. In 2014, Ward ranked second in FBS and led the Big Ten with four fumbles recovered and was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree. The Philadelphia, Pa., native attended Edward W. Bok Technical High School where he was named a first-team All-City selection in 2011 and second-team All-City selection in 2010.
