Top 5 breakout candidates for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023
By Brad Weiss
Top 5 breakout candidates for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023
2. Michael Mayer, Tight End
One of the bigger moves of the 2023 offseason for the Raiders was the trade of star tight end Darren Waller. After bursting onto the national scene with the Silver and Black, Waller had some issues staying on the field the last two seasons, and the organization decided it was time to move on from him.
In return, Las Vegas got the No. 100 overall pick, a third-round selection they used on wide receiver Tre Tucker. Replacing Waller will be the team's second pick of the nine-player 2023 class, Michael Mayer, who was arguably the best tight end in the entire draft class after a standout career at Notre Dame.
Mayer is the prototypical tight end to star in Josh McDaniels's offense, and you can expect him to rise up the depth chart all summer long. When all is said and done, I like Mayer to be the team's TE1 from Week 1 on, and as a key weapon for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, he could emerge as one of the best young tight ends in the game.