Getty Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders head into free agency with wide receiver being their most glaring need on offense. Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear number wide receiver available on the market except for Amari Cooper and they obviously won’t pursue him. New York Jets’ Robby Anderson is figured to be the team’s top target and they’ll most likely make a run at him.
However, if the team is looking for a cheaper option, they could take a long look at a rival wide receiver. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Las Vegas could try and steal from the Kansas City Chiefs:
The Chiefs receiver I would watch for the Raiders is Demarcus Robinson.
Robinson wasn’t one of the main targets for the Chiefs’ high-powered offense, but the Raiders will be really familiar with him. In Week 2, he put 172 yards and caught two touchdowns against the silver and black. He shouldn’t have a big market, so the Raiders could pick him up for cheap. This might be a good move if the team decides they’d rather address WR1 in the draft.
Price Could Scare Them off Robby Anderson
Like previously mentioned, Robby Anderson is the Raiders’ top target at wide receiver in free agency. That said, he’s about to get overpaid because of the dearth of wide receiver talent available. Tafur thinks that could scare the team off:
The Raiders really do like Anderson, but his price could be too high in a weak free-agent class.
The team gave Tyrell Williams a massive contract last offseason and he’s a glorified number two wide receiver. If anything, Anderson is a lesser version of Williams. He’s a good player and would be an awesome number three wide receiver for the team, but he’s not worth $12 million a year.
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Keep an Eye on Henry Ruggs
Considering there’s not a lot of free-agent talent at wide receiver this offseason, the Raiders are expected to pick one up early in the draft. Conventional wisdom would lead to the idea that the team is going to take either CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy with their top pick in the first round, but Tafur thinks the Raiders could fall in love with another.
I have no read on whether they Raiders prefer Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, and getting one of the two elite receivers in the draft at No. 12 would be a good start. Jeudy is a better route runner, but Lamb can high-point balls and is better after the catch.
I can’t help but think, though, that the Tyreek Hill comp for Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III has Gruden making excited faces and knocking on wood.
Ruggs ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at this year’s Combine. There’s no doubt Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock saw that. He also was very good at Alabama and is much more than just a speedster. However, the Raiders would be unwise to skip on Jeudy or Lamb for Ruggs. Though he has game-breaking ability, the other two prospects are safer and should be studs in the NFL.
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