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2020 NFL Draft will help Oakland Raiders revamp the wide receiver position

By Thomas Wheaton

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Tee Higgins #5 of the Clemson Tigers makes a catch against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Tee Higgins #5 of the Clemson Tigers makes a catch against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 14: Tee Higgins #5 of the Clemson Tigers grabs Lakiem Williams #46 of the Syracuse Orange’s face mask during a game at the Carrier Dome on September 14, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 14: Tee Higgins #5 of the Clemson Tigers grabs Lakiem Williams #46 of the Syracuse Orange’s face mask during a game at the Carrier Dome on September 14, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /

The Oakland Raiders needed to do something at wide receiver to help them through the season, but that shouldn’t stop them from adding talent at the position in the 2020 NFL Draft.

On Monday the Oakland Raiders traded for another wide receiver, their third in the last two seasons. The first two did not work out, and one did not even play a snap for the franchise, but we all know what happened there… well not really.

Nonetheless, hopefully the acquisition of Zay Jones from the Buffalo Bills will go much better than the previous trades for Pittsburgh Steelers receivers.

First, let’s look at what Jones brings to the table for the Raiders. With injuries to Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson the receiving corps has been very thin through the first five weeks. When healthy the group still lacks depth and top-tier talent.

Williams has flashed, but does not seem like the kind of guy that can be the only show in town. Nelson, Keelan Doss, Trevor Davis and Hunter Renfrow are all nice options, but very young.

By adding Jones the Raiders are adding to that middle tier of talent, but not getting a top end guy per say. In his third season now, Jones has only tallied 1,037 yards on 194 receptions. That puts him third in career yards behind Williams and Nelson, but is more than Doss, Renfrow, and Davis combined… by a very wide margin.

A promising player talent wise, Jones has some time left to show what he can do. At 24 years old Jones has some of his best football ahead of him (hopefully) and should return value to the Raiders.

At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Jones possess nice size to make him a solid red zone target but is also a crisp route runner. Things didn’t work out in Buffalo, but that does not mean they will not work out in Oakland.

Trading for Jones aside, the Raiders wide receiver group is still far from what it could be. Luckily for the franchise they find themselves with two first round draft picks in a draft chock full of talented wide receivers.

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