Oakland Raiders 5 Biggest Training Camp Battles for 2014
Dec 15, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera (81) catches a touchdown pass over Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) in the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 56-31. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
#2- Tight Ends
Currently there are 6 Tight Ends on the roster, and they will more than likely be in a battle for 3 positions. Honestly, this one is really up in the air for me. My favorite, and one that I think will easily be on the roster in September will be Mychal Rivera (#81). Rivera, a 6th round draft pick by the Raiders in 2013, had a decent rookie season hauling in 38 receptions for 407 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Rivera showed he could be trusted as a receiver when the tough catches needed to be made. Not only that, Rivera can take a hit, he’s tough. His biggest issue is that he’s not the best run blocker. This is something he’ll have to continue to work at. If you want a comparison, then look no farther than Tony Gonzalez. In Gonzalez’s first year in the league (1997), he caught 33 passes for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns. Pretty comparable numbers if you ask me. Gonzalez also had an issue with run blocking early in his career as well. I know, I know, this is me hoping and wishing again, but the potential is there in Rivera to be something really special.
Next up we have the battle rounds. David Ausberry (#86) was injured all of 2013, and he was supposed to be the incumbent. However, due to the inconsistency he showed in 2011, 2012, and his absence in 2013, he finds himself in the midst of trying to make an NFL roster. The sad truth about Ausberry is that he has a lot of athletic ability, but he hasn’t been able to put anything together. In his career, he’s only had 9 receptions for 106 yards. That’s it!
Nick Kasa (#88), Brian Leonhardt (#87), Jake Murphy (#82), and Scott Simonson (#83), round out the remaining TE’s. Kasa has a lot of potential, but I don’t know that he’ll be able to move ahead of Rivera. Leonhardt never got it together last year, and he found himself on the practice squad for most of the season. The two I like to move past everybody but Rivera ar Murphy and Simonson. Both of them are big bodied TE’s who have really good hands. Murphy is the better blocker of the two. Both come from smaller colleges (Murphy fro Utah and Simonson from Assumption), which is most likely why neither was drafted. This position battle will definitely be one to keep your eyes on, especially when Pre-Season begins.