A rookie class that has given the Raiders two impact starters and their top receiving tight end is about to give them another starter Sunday against the Packers.

Jon Feliciano is expected to start at right guard if Austin Howard is unable to play, and the right tackle hasn’t practiced this week because of a sore knee. J’Marcus Webb would slide from right guard to right tackle to make room for Feliciano, a fourth-round pick.

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said Thursday that “there are a number of options” when asked about Feliciano starting, but he is taking the first-team reps at practice, teammates say.

Khalif Barnes replaced Howard after he was injured Sunday in Denver.

Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. probably best explained why Feliciano is getting a shot when he was talking about seventh-round pick Dexter McDonald.

The cornerback got his first defensive action Sunday, playing nine plays after getting on the field only on special teams in three previous games.

“He’s young,” Norton said. “Highly competitive and he wants to play. He’s out here working early every day and it’s good to get the young guys some run, get them out there and play a little bit, get a little seasoning, let them feel what it’s like to be a pro player and just see what his response will be.”

A look at how well Feliciano and six other draft picks are seasoning:

•Amari Cooper: The first-round pick has set franchise rookie records with 62 catches and 920 yards. He is coming off his worst game, with zero catches on eight targets. He returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday with a sore foot.

“He’s working through it … so we can get back to full strength and we can be more effective there at the split end,” Musgrave said.

•Mario Edwards: The second-round pick has been a beast of late, and should get assists (like a bulldozing point guard) for three of Khalil Mack’s five sacks Sunday. Edwards did have five tackles, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.

“On a couple of occasions, it’s the pressure that Mario’s getting, the pressure that Denico (Autry’s) getting that doesn’t allow the quarterback a step-up lane, and now Khalil is able to get the sacks,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “A lot of good effort up front.”

•Clive Walford: The third-round pick has 21 catches for 251 yards, with his best two games coming in the past two weeks: a combined eight catches for 100 yards.

“His ability to help impact us continues to grow,” Del Rio said. “He’s got really soft hands. He’s got an ability to run down the field and stretch the field. He’s a pretty solid blocker as well.”

•Feliciano: He has been solely a special-teams player until now, as Tony Bergstrom grabbed the backup-center role in camp. But Feliciano (6-foot-4, 325 pounds) has come on strong.

•Ben Heeney: The 6-foot, 230-pound linebacker started to get some serious playing time four weeks ago, and the fifth-round pick has shown the same nose for the ball that he did in the preseason.

•Neiron Ball: The team’s other fifth-round pick earned a start in Week 7, and showed he can cover tight ends better than anyone else on the roster. Then he hurt his knee, and finally was shelved for the season last week.

•McDonald: He took some snaps away from DJ Hayden on Sunday, and Norton says he is just a piece of clay at this point.

“He has to work on everything,” Norton said. “Every single thing he has to work on, but the first thing is technique, understanding the philosophy, staying on top, being aggressive and just being in the right place and doing the right thing, being the type of player that you can be depended on by your coaches and your teammates.”

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