The Las Vegas Raiders, for as great an offseason as they had, upset a lot of folks both in this fanbase and in the national media when they didn't cross mountains and rivers to sign a "true No. 1 wideout." But Tre Tucker's recent quote from Upon Further Review speaks to the approach they have.
"The receiver room's become like a basketball team. You got to have your role," Tucker explained. "You got a point guard, you got your shooting guard, you got all that. So really, you want your best three out there, and then you want them to complement each other. If I was a coach, like I said, I would want my best three out there, and I want all different skill sets, because it gives you flexibility to do what you want."
With a better schemer in Klint Kubiak, the Raiders should get more from their guys without having had to invest all that much more this offseason. And when it comes to those roles, one NFL analyst thinks that Las Vegas' Jalen Nailor can do a lot of similar things to Omar Cooper Jr.
Yes, that Omar Cooper Jr., who was Fernando Mendoza's top target at Indiana last season. And yes, that Jalen Nailor, whose post-free agency signing hype has fallen off now that folks are looking to Tucker and Jack Bech to take another step in this offense.
NFL analyst believes Jalen Nailor can be Fernando Mendoza' Omar Cooper Jr. for Las Vegas Raiders
Yahoo! Sports' Matt Harmon broke down the Raiders' wide receiver room very well during his recent appearance on the Just Win Podcast. He spoke not only about the ways that Kubiak can get more out of Bech, but also about how Nailor brings similar components to the table that Cooper Jr. does.
"Jalen Nailor, I have a profile up on him as well from the pre-free agency period. And what really stuck out to me with him was that he can play all three receiver positions when he's used in the slot or off-ball," Harmon began. "He does a lot of these bigger outbreaking routes that I thought he was really effective on and good in tight coverage. Which, again, if we're thinking Fernando Mendoza, him and Omar Cooper had a great connection on those outcuts at all three levels of the field. I talked to Omar Cooper for an interview on my show before the draft and he said that was his favorite route to run. It was his best route that he thought him and Mendoza had a good connection there. So, Nailor could potentially be a fit in that regard."
If Nailor can effectively be Mendoza's Cooper Jr., not only does that bode well for the offense and the rookie quarterback's early prognosis as a pro, but it means that Las Vegas' free agent addition could be in for a bigger role than most anticipate.
Cooper Jr. and Mendoza connected on 69 passes last season for the Hoosiers, netting 937 yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns. Mendoza commonly went to Cooper Jr. in clutch situations and relied on him to make tough catches near the sideline.
It sounds like Harmon sees Nailor winning in similar ways for this new Raiders offense under Kubiak. Without much proven talent in the wide receiver room, Las Vegas badly needs someone to step up, or at least several players to work together and fill in various roles.
Nailor can, at the very least, thrive on out routes and crossers while also serving as a bigger target near the goal line. Now, that may sound ridiculous for a wideout who stands at 5-foot-11, but Nailor has snagged 10 touchdowns in the last two seasons, nine of which came in the red zone.
Time will tell who, if anyone, takes that leap for the Raiders in the wide receiver room, and who exactly fills what role. But based on Harmon's analysis, it seems like Las Vegas may have a perfect Cooper Jr. stand-in for Mendoza in Nailor.
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