Despite the recent losses, the Raiders have a bright future
By Daniel Davis
Darren Waller
It would also be criminal not to mention the newly signed Darren Waller in a discussion about young players with bright futures. Waller has found a great home in Oakland and is an athlete who can’t be covered. He’s a freakish athlete who is impossible to cover.
He’s too tall and big for a cornerback to cover, yet he’s too fast for a linebacker or a safety to take on. Even more important is his catching ability, as he has become a sure target for Derrek Carr, who also has a 108.0 rating when targeting him. In 2019 so far, he has had 92 targets with 72 receptions for a 78.3% catching percentage, the highest on the team with at least 60 receptions.
Leading the team with 880 yards, he also has a double-digit YAC rating with 12.2 with a 6.0 average. Impressive as that sounds, even more is his 41 first-down catches, with is nearly double the next player at 28 (Tyrell Williams) and only having a total of 3 drops on 92 targets and 11 avoid tackles.
Waller is another player invaluable to this team and has really made a name for himself. I also have to emphasize his production is also due to the running game of Josh Jacobs at 27 of his catches have come off of play-action passes. At 27 years old, the young tight end is still in the prime of his career.