Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Bryan Edwards.
Henry Ruggs is the most hyped wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders but there’s another rookie who might make just as big of an impact. Bryan Edwards was always considered one of the better wideouts in the draft but an injury scared a lot of teams off of drafting him early. He ended up falling to the Raiders in the third round and will have to fight to find a role in the offense.
It usually takes time for third-round guys to make an impact on a team but Edwards has already started to catch some attention.
“Bryan is a very violent route runner and that’s a good thing,” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said las week. “Then when the ball is in the air, he reminds me of Davante. Someone where there’s just a trust. I could throw it up one-on-one and those 50/50 balls are 98/2 for us and the two being something fluky happened like his shoe came off.
“He’s a guy that can not only use his physicality in the route, but also when the ball is in the air.”
Adams has emerged as one of the most elite wide receivers in the NFL and he played with Carr in college. If Edwards can have that kind of connection with the Raiders quarterback, he could be an important player on offense very quickly.
Coach Compares Edwards to A.J. Green
If the comparison to Adams wasn’t lofty enough, one of Edwards’ former coaches compared him to one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
“He’s always reminded me of A.J. Green,” said Conway (S.C.) head coach Carlton Terry, who coached Edwards in high school, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “They both just have that ability to make plays at receiver and return punts. Just men on the field in comparison to the other players. Not only did they stand out vertically, but for big men to have that athleticism is just so rare.”
If Green can get healthy and have a couple more productive seasons, he could be in the Hall of Fame when everything is said and done. Both Edwards and Green are taller wide receivers who aren’t particularly fast. It’s not impossible to see the comparison between the two. Green was much more highly touted coming out of college so Edwards won’t have those kinds of expectations. However, he could end up putting up similar numbers down the road.
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It Will Take Time for Edwards to Find Role on Offense
Edwards has the potential to be one of the biggest steals of the draft if he can stay healthy. That said, don’t expect too much from him this year. He’s coming off an injury and the lack of an offseason should hurt all the rookies.
Now, he definitely looks further along than what was expected. He could carve out a role pretty quickly but Tyrell Williams is a similar type of player. The future is bright for Edwards but it’s unlikely he has a fast start with the team.
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Raiders’ Bryan Edwards Compared to Pro Bowl WRs by Derek Carr & Coach