Wide receiver appears a certainty, but when?
When the Raiders finally cut ties with wide receiver Antonio Brown, there were sighs of relief all around.
When the Raiders sputtered at the end of the season, in part because they were lacking a playmaking weapon in the passing game, there were sighs of resignation. Help was needed at wide receiver.
Which brings us to the 2020 NFL draft and a wide receiver class that by all accounts is loaded with talent. And as much as GM Mike Mayock is leery of the success rate at the position, he and coach Jon Gruden realize bringing in some talent on the outside is mandatory for quarterback Derek Carr and the passing game.
“There’s a whole bunch of wide outs,” Mayock told reporters by conference call. “There’s all kinds of flavors and sizes. If you need
a big X (split end), there’s a bunch of big X receivers out there. If you need a guy that can play slot and Z (flanker), there’s a bunch of them. If you’re looking for a No. 1 wide receiver, there could be a No 1 in the third round.”
We’re going to leave out tight ends, given that the Raiders already have Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Jason Witten, Derek Carrier and Nick O’Leary at the position.
Here’s a closer look heading in to the April 23-25 draft:
THE BIG THREE >> Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma) and Henry Ruggs III (Alabama). At least two of the three could be available at No. 12. Maybe not by No. 19. Jeudy (6-1, 193) excels in route running. Lamb (6-2, 198) is a yards-aftercatch phenom. Ruggs (5-11, 188) posted a combine-best, 4.27-second 40-yard dash. SECOND WAVE >> Justin Jefferson (LSU). This 6-1, 202-pound threat can excel in the slot or use his surprisingly impressive speed (4.43-second 40-yard dash) to break open down field. Others include Jalen Reagor (TCU), Tee Higgins (Clemson), Denzel Mims (Baylor), Laviska Shenault Jr. (Colorado), Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State), Colin Johnson (Texas) and Lynn Bowden (Kentucky).
KEEP AN EYE ON >> Michael Pittman Jr. (USC). Tremendously productive in college, can get downfield, and his dad was Gruden’s power back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their Super Bowl win over the Raiders.
ALREADY ON ROSTER >> *Tyrell Williams, *Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones, Nelson Agholor, Marcell Ateman, Keelan Doss, Rico Gafford and Anthony Ratliff-Williams (*–projected starter). LAST FIVE DRAFTS >> TE Foster
Moreau (4 / 137 in 2019), Hunter Renfrow, Clemson (5 / 149 in 2019), Marcell Ateman, Oklahoma State (7 / 228 in 2018), Amari Cooper, Alabama (1 / 4 in 2015), TE Clive Walford (3 / 68 in 2015) and Andre Debose, Florida (7 / 221 in 2015). QUOTABLE >> ”I’ve talked to the Raiders. They’re very young, and they’re talented. They’re trying to get something started that only the people in that room and that locker room know. Energy like that is what I love to be around. That’s kind of the energy we had at OU,” Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb after meeting with the Raiders at the NFL scouting combine.