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Las Vegas Raiders: Position needs to target in free agency and the draft

By Khaled Abdallah

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 07: Kenneth Murray #9 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after stopping the Baylor Bears offense in the first quarter of the Big 12 Football Championship at AT&T Stadium on December 7, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 07: Kenneth Murray #9 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after stopping the Baylor Bears offense in the first quarter of the Big 12 Football Championship at AT&T Stadium on December 7, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 27: Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III of Alabama runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 27: Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III of Alabama runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Wide Receiver

There is no need to rehash the Antonio Brown situation but as we know, what looked like a position of strength coming in to the season ended up being one of the weakest thanks to a combination of off-field antics and injuries. The revolving door at receiver was difficult to overcome and it made the position one of the main priorities for the Raiders this offseason.

The vaunted receiver draft class is one of the deepest in recent memory and there are a number of players who look to be sure things and should be available for selection with either of the first round picks. If the Raiders do indeed take a receiver in the first round, it will be just the third time they have done so since 2000. Since 2010 they have selected nine receivers but only one in the third round or better, Amari Cooper at 4th overall in 2015.

Several players have been linked to the Raiders in the first round and the conventional wisdom suggests they will use one pick on defense and the other on offense just like they did in 2019. Any of the top-5 receivers in the class could step in and immediately be the Raiders number one receiver and we know if Al Davis was still around he would target the fastest of the bunch in Alabama’s Henry Ruggs.

The free agent class is decidedly weaker with only nine included in The Athletic’s Top 100 Free Agents list. Amari Cooper is a nonstarter after his unceremonious exit from Oakland but Robby Anderson and Emmanuel Sanders are both realistic targets that would immediately improve the position group and give Derek Carr a true number one target.

Breshad Perriman and Demarcus Robinson are the wild cards of the group and present the most upside after Anderson given their potential cost. Perriman came on strong with Tampa Bay after they lost their top two targets and seems to have figured things out after struggling with Baltimore and Cleveland. Perriman also has first round pedigree and the talent has always been there.

Robinson is more of an unknown because it is unclear if his production was a product of the Kansas City offense or his actual talent. Just like the linebacker group, the Raiders need to come in to training camp with at least one of these top targets to take the leap on that side of the ball.

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