D’Wayne Eskridge’s speed could make Raiders pass attack lethal
Drafting A Receiver Won’t Be Popular But It Might Be Necessary
Assuming Agholor and Williams are gone, the Raiders should invest their financial resources and future draft capital in acquiring proven defensive talent. Some players that come to mind are Shaquil Barrett, Ndamukong Suh, and Marcus Maye, though the big prize should be Leonard Williams.
So if the team goes all-in on defense this route, drafting Eskridge won’t be so farfetched as the team still has more picks that can go towards defense.
ESPN’s Todd McShay recently stated that Eskridge is someone to keep an eye on, and he’ll potentially be a ‘Top 50’ pick. He’s basing this on his collegiate production and what he’s seen at the Senior Bowl so far.
His senior year at Western Michigan was eye-popping from that perspective, he averaged 21.5 yards per reception, eight touchdowns, and 768 receiving yards.
If the numbers don’t convince you, his film is even more impressive, and frankly, it could spell disaster for the AFC West. You can dispel playing in the MAC conference all you want, but speed doesn’t know boundaries. In plays like the one above as well as the one below that Eskridge’s breakaway speed is lethal.
At five-foot-nine, Eskridge isn’t the biggest receiver, his frame isn’t imposing either so there are concerns about that.
However, his size could be overlooked for what he’ll bring to the Raiders. Eskridge will spread out defenses even more with Ruggs on the field. Despite the size issue, Eskridge shows on film he’s not afraid to go down the middle and take a hit.
Line him up in the middle, next to Ruggs, how can defenses contain that much speed on one side?
Again, the Raiders cant go off Edwards’ unproven potential in 2021. People like to say Edwards is the X receiver, but he’s been anointed before he can play a full season essentially. No, the Raiders need to stretch the field and let Carr air it out already, he showed last season he’s not afraid to do it. If they can game-changing speed in let’s say, the second round, why not do it? Elite defenses can get you to the playoffs but elite offenses win you Super Bowls, just ask the Kansas City Chiefs.