Which top-ranked wide receiver should the Las Vegas Raiders select?

The Las Vegas Raiders offense is lacking a true WR1 entering the 2020 NFL Draft, so which top-ranked wideout should they target?

The Las Vegas Raiders enter the 2020 NFL Draft with a pair of first round selections. In almost every single mock draft available, one of those selections features the Raiders picking a wide receiver.

A true number one wide receiver is something that the Raiders have been missing for quite some time, with the Amari Cooper and Antonio Brown experiments both failing, albeit for very different reasons. In fact, according to ESPN’s Mike Clay, Derek Carr has never had a season where his targets were outside the top 5 in dropped passes.

Last season, the Raiders’ top receiver was Tyrell Williams, who finished the year with 651 yards and six touchdowns. Those are not numbers indicative of a top NFL receiver, and even though he was hurt, he is more suited in the WR2 role on this offense.

Luckily for Las Vegas, and for Carr, this year’s draft is heralded as one of the best receiver classes that the NFL has seen in a long time. The top of the draft has three standout wide receivers, and as many as six wideouts could conceivably go in the first round.

The prime candidates for the Raiders selection at number 12 are as follows: Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III from Alabama, and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb. Each prospect has a strong case to be the first receiver off the board, and there is a good chance that all three will still be available when the Raiders are on the clock for the first time come April 23rd.

Assuming the Raiders have their choice among this stellar wide receiver class, let’s take a look at the top three options for Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock on draft night, assessing the best possible route for the Raiders to go.