The Oakland Raiders have several needs to fill this offseason, but which of their needs is the most important to address?
After a 12-4 season, one might think that the Oakland Raiders do not have a lot of holes to fill. But actually, they do. The question is, which of their needs is the most pressing?
Let’s take a look at the top seven needs for the Raiders, starting from the least to the most pressing.
7. Power Running Back
With the probable departure of Latavius Murray, the Raiders can certainly go with a three-headed monster in the backfield — Jamize Olawale, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard — and be just fine. The trio would be more than capable of carrying the workload.
But a hard-nosed, power back would be really nice to complement the backfield. I said that exactly one year ago and people criticized me, but I repeat it now. A guy like LeGarrette Blount would be ideal, but he will command a hefty pay check not to re-sign with the current Super Bowl champions, especially after a ridiculous 18 touchdown season.
There are a few interesting prospects in this year’s draft, so let’s see if McKenzie can make some late round magic again.
6. Slot Wide Receiver
I have to confess I’m a little bit on the fence here. I want to like Seth Roberts. I want to keep the streak alive — whenever he scores, the Raiders win. But he keeps dropping reasons for me to like him. Pun intended.
I think Roberts has potential and he has proven to be an effective blocker, which is a rare quality in wide receivers. But I really don’t understand why he drops so many easy passes. His inconsistency baffles me.
A reliable slot receiver is incredibly important these days. Just take a look at the damage guys like Julian Edelman and Odell Beckham Jr. do when they line up at the slot. As a matter of fact, I hope Todd Downing will use Amari Cooper more in the slot, especially if the Raiders can bring in another outside receiver of his caliber.
With a speedy guy and a good pair of hands between the seams, Derek Carr could do so much damage. Opposing defenses will not know who to cover, as recently admitted by Cardinals’ safety Tony Jefferson when talking about the idea of DeSean Jackson signing in Oakland:
that's be unfair . D jack in the slot with amari outside with crab.. damn
— Tony Jefferson II (@_tonyjefferson) February 13, 2017
If McKenzie can find a guy like that in the draft, great. If not, we can live with Roberts and his drops a bit longer. I seriously doubt he will make an offer to Jackson or any other big time free agent receiver like Alshon Jeffery or Pierre Garçon, but it would take the offense to the next level if he did.