Versatile Raiders defensive lineman Jihad Ward impresses teammates

Raiders left tackle Donald Penn did a double-take the first time he saw defensive tackle Jihad Ward, the team’s second-round pick.

“I didn’t know he was that big when we drafted him,” Penn said. “I love Jihad. Very quiet guy. Just comes in and works. He’s a big, powerful, strong guy. He moves well. He even has a couple of little pass rush moves, for being a young guy.

“And he can play everywhere on the defensive line. ... That was a nice pickup.”

The 6-foot-5, 297-pound Ward has been lining up with the first team since the first day of training camp.

“It’s going well,” Ward said. “Learning the plays, paying attention to detail and getting out there and feeling loose. You don’t want to feel like a robot out there.”

Ward looks like a slightly bigger version of Mario Edwards Jr., last year’s second-round breakout player. Ward is a little slower, but he has shown he is athletic enough to play both defensive tackle and defensive end.

“Just moving around,” said Ward, who was a receiver/safety in junior college before going on to Illinois. “We try and be versatile up and down the line, so that if someone goes down in the game we have options.”

At 6 foot 5 and 297 pounds, second- round pick Jihad Ward is listed as a defensive tackle, but he and his teammates believe he’s capable of playing any position on the line. At 6 foot 5 and 297 pounds, second- round pick Jihad Ward is listed as a defensive tackle, but he and his teammates believe he’s capable of playing any position on the line. Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Versatile Raiders defensive lineman Jihad Ward impresses teammates 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Edwards is cool with the comparison.

“Jihad is good,” Edwards said. “He is a hard worker and getting better every day. Strong and athletic. ... We’re going to have a hell of a rotation.”

A big part of that is the experience and bruises gained going against what looks like one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.

“Our offensive line is going to make me better, so that’s great,” Ward said. “I am working on getting off the ball, stopping the run and penetrating. Getting better with my hands too.”

It’s important to the rookie that he is not a one-dimensional player.

“I don’t want teams to study me and think I can only beat them with speed,” Ward said. “That’s why I work on my moves and developing a plan. I want people, when they go against me, to feel the difficulty.”

In good hands: Head coach Jack Del Rio raved about the receiving corps of Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Seth Roberts and Andre Holmes.

“I love the way they’re working at it,” he said. “I think the communication level has gone to another level. I think it’s a really good group. We all expect, with them knowing each other and the subtleties of the route running, that we can take advantage of it and have a big year.”

Briefly: First-round pick Karl Joseph and tight end Clive Walford returned to practice after a day off. They are coming off knee injuries, and Del Rio said the days off were planned. “We’ll push plenty, but there are times when you need to pull back a little bit,” Del Rio said. ... Defensive end Denico Autry also returned, from a wrist injury. ... The Raiders claimed defensive back Tramain Jacobs (Giants) and linebacker Lenny Jones (49ers) off waivers, waived/injured cornerback SaQwan Edwards and waived defensive end Damontre Moore.

Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur