Oakland Raiders Stock Report: 3 up, 3 down from preseason game No. 1
By Kenny King
The Oakland Raiders kicked off their 2019 preseason schedule with a win on Saturday night, and here is our stock report from their game against the Rams.
The Oakland Raiders finished their first preseason game with a 14-3 victory, and a good look at many young players that were able to get a legitimate shot since a majority of the starters sat for the game. Here we will take a look at 6 players whose stocks rose and dropped after the game.
Our first round picks on Defense, Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram played extremely well, as did fourth round defensive end Maxx Crosby. Crosby actually broke his hand in the game, but returned with a cast on.
These players were drafted where they were because Coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock knew the physical and mental attributes they bring to the team. Because players like Ferrell, Crosby and Abram were already projected to be integral parts of the team, we aren’t going to focus on them, rather we will address some of the players who may have flown under the radar and made an impact, or were expected to make an improvement.
Here are three players whose stock went up, and three players whose stock went down.
Stock up: J.J. Nelson
JJ Nelson was signed by the Oakland Raiders on March 15, 2019 as a free agent from the Arizona Cardinals. The 5-foot-10 speedster whose 4.28 40 yard dash is one of the leagues fastest, was projected early in the offseason to be the new slot receiver to replace Seth Roberts, who left for the Ravens during free agency.
With the Raiders drafting Hunter Renfrow out of Clemson, it was clear the Raiders had found their slot, however Nelson has been incredibly impressive in camp in both short and deep routes. His speed and crisp route running paired with great vision and good hands has elevated his stock.
This past weekend, in the Raiders 14-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Nelson hauled in two receptions for 43 yards and carried a 21.5 yard average on the two catches. What was most impressive about the catches was that the passes were both contested which showed the fight from Nelson.