Getty Raiders GM Mike Mayock with Antonio Brown.
The Las Vegas Raiders went into free agency with the obvious goal of trying to help their defense. While they didn’t hit every target, they did fill some serious holes. The biggest upgrade was at linebacker where the team added two new starters who should make an impact right away. However, the team has yet to fill arguably their biggest hole.
Wide receiver was the team’s biggest weakness in 2019 and outside of signing Nelson Agholor, the Raiders have done nothing to address the position. Thanks to that, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report ranked wide receiver as the team’s biggest red flag:
The Raiders kicked off their tenure in Las Vegas with a flurry of activity in free agency. The team added competition for Derek Carr at quarterback in Marcus Mariota. One of the NFL’s weakest linebacker corps was retooled with the signings of Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton.
However, there’s still one area in which the Raiders roster needs more than a little work. Las Vegas possesses one of the NFL’s more promising young tight ends in Darren Waller. Running back Josh Jacobs became the first player in franchise history to top 1,000 yards as a rookie.
But the wide receiver position is a mess in Oakland. Tyrell Williams got off to a hot start in 2019, but he spent much of the season’s second half on the side of a milk carton. The addition of Nelson Agholor in free agency was at best a nominal improvement.
Wide receiver was supposed to be a strength for the Raiders in 2019. Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams were supposed to form a dynamic duo, but the former never played a game for the team and the latter was banged up for most of the year. Las Vegas will now have to look to the draft to fix the position.
Jerry Jeudy Is Best Target for Raiders
The 2020 wide receiver class is loaded from top to bottom, so the Raiders will have multiple chances to find a dynamic playmaker on the outside. While there will be top talent available in the later rounds of the draft, they can’t risk going into the season with another subpar wide receiver corps. That’s why they need to target Jerry Jeudy out of Alabama if he’s available with their first first-round pick.
Jeudy is as polished a wide receiver to come out of college as there has been in recent memories. He’s got really good speed and is already an elite route-runner. He could come in day one and immediately become the focus of the Raiders passing game. CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs are also really exciting, but they don’t have the polish that Jeudy brings to the table.
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Cornerback Is Still a Major Need
It’s very important for the Raiders to come out of the draft with a number one wide receiver. Luckily, they have two first-round picks, so they’ll be able to address another need early. Considering the Raiders play in the same division as Patrick Mahomes, they need to get elite play from their cornerbacks. The only cornerback on the roster who has shown shutdown ability is Trayvon Mullen and there are still a ton of question marks surrounding him.
If the Raiders come out of the draft with a starting wide receiver and starting cornerback, it’ll be a win for them.
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