Ranking the Oakland Raiders Top Five Wide Receivers
By Austin Gayle
May 19, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders receivers coach Rob Moore and receiver Amari Cooper (89) at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders receiving corps struggled to meet expectations in 2014 due in large part to injuries and the offensive system they were within, but Oakland has made some significant strides this offseason to improve their receiving depth.
Before Oakland had even finished the regular season NFL analysts and journalists had already penciled in wide receiver as the teamās largest position of need. According to NFL.com, the Raidersā receiving corps averaged less than 9.5 yards per reception and combined for just 30 passing plays over 20 yards, both statistics being an NFL worst in 2014.
James Jones, Oaklandās leading receiver in receptions and touchdowns in 2014, was released from the team in May of this year and is currently a free agent.
āWe have some young guys in the system and weāre hopeful that those guys continue to grow,ā Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie told SiriusXM NFL radio
earlier this offseason. āHopefully weāll get a healthy Rod Streater back and that will help us out. We donāt feel like itās doom and gloom at the receiver spot, but we do know that we need to upgrade. Weāre taking a positive outlook and approach to this because there are some good receivers out there coming into this draft. At some point, Iām sure that weāll get better at that position.ā
Fortunately for the Raiders, McKenzie has proven his statement correct, as Oakland has upgraded their receiving corps and gotten much better at the position.
Here are Oaklandās top five wide receivers entering the 2015 season
Next: #5: Josh Harper