Oakland Raiders’ Winners of Round 1 in Fights For Positions

Aug 8, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Brice Butler (12) carries the ball during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Raiders 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Brice Butler

At 6’3″, 214 pounds, running a 4.3 40, and having a 40-inch vertical leap, Brice Butler one of those freakish, Al Davis picks. The good thing about having G.M. Reggie McKenzie on board is that he made that pick in the seventh round last year. He had an up-and-down rookie year with some drops and is now on the roster bubble after the acquisitions the Raiders made at receiver.

But in his 2014 preseason debut, in a game where there were a lot of dropped passes, Butler caught what was thrown to him. His totals for the night were four catches for 44 yards on four targets with an additional three catches for 37 yards wiped out by penalties. That’s a big, 10-8 win over Juron Criner on my unofficial scorecard because Butler dominated the round enough to get the extra point—not a knockdown.

He should have at least taken himself from overcrowded the back of that depth chart where many of the receivers will probably be cut. Butler still has three rounds left to make a case for making the team and more playing time. I would really like to see him get the opportunity to use that height, weight, speed and vertical leap to do some dynamic things down the field.