Las Vegas Raiders 53-man 2020 Week 1 roster prediction
By Nick Ellis
Las Vegas Raiders 53-man 2020 Week 1 roster prediction
Wide Receiver (7): Henry Ruggs III, Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards, Nelson Agholor, Rico Gafford, Zay Jones
The Raiders did a complete upgrade to their receiving group, as they went from having one of the worst in the NFL, to one of the most exciting in just one year. The team will surely return a few of their key pieces, as a healthy Tyrell Williams could be a touchdown machine, and the sophomore season of Hunter Renfrow is sure to be an impressive one, but the real changes came in the draft.
The Raiders used their first pick in the draft on Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs III. Most know Ruggs for his incredible speed that could challenge that of Tyreek Hill, but he is much more than that. Ruggs had some of the best hands in college football, only dropping five balls in three years, as well as just one in his final season.
Ruggs also has shown great route-running, not only in college, but in training camp as well.
Arguably the most exciting piece of this new receiving group is rookie receiver Bryan Edwards out of South Carolina. If it weren’t for an injury his senior season, Edwards likely would have been a first round pick, but he fell to the third round where the Raiders were lucky enough to draft him. Edwards has incredible hands and size and can turn any 50/50 ball into an 80/20 ball.
Despite the criticism that Nelson Agholor has received, he has a lot of talent and could be a big piece of the Raiders offense if he can work on his hands. Agholor will surely make the team as Gruden has shown a lot of excitement about him.
Zay Jones is a player that has not produced much for the Raiders, but he has been putting in a ton of work with Derek Carr in the offseason, and has shown great speed and improved route running in camp.
The battle between Rico Gafford, Keelan Doss, and Marcel Ateman will take place again this year, but it is likely that only one player will be kept on the roster. Rico Gafford will likely take that spot as his speed will be too much for Gruden to pass up on.