Young speedy WR turning heads at Raiders practice

The Las Vegas Raiders still have a lot of work to do before the start of the regular season but one offensive player is already turning heads. The team used a third-round pick to add Tre Tucker last year and though he didn't put up big numbers as a rookie, he showed several flashes of big-play ability.

Everybody already knows that Tucker is one of the fastest players in the NFL but what will set him apart is his work ethic. According to head coach Antonio Pierce, Tucker is doing all the right things heading into Year 2.

“One guy that obviously stood out this offseason; Tre Tucker,” Pierce said during his Thursday press conference. “Different dude. Looks different, acts different, runs different, catches the ball different. Don’t look at the size. Don’t mention that. Watch him play. He’s the biggest guy out there. Had a hell of an offseason. Came back right after the offseason program and the Super Bowl, got in here and started working. Was here every day. Blazing, we know about the speed, but everything we talked about working on, he took that to another level. You can see the look in his eye of a confident player. Of a guy that wants to constantly get better.”

This is some very exciting commentary from Pierce. Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are expected to have big years while new addition Michael Gallup has a proven track record. However, Tucker emerging as the No. 3 wide receiver would be great news for the team. Adams and Meyers are great but neither are burners the same way Tucker is. He could bring a very important element to the Raiders offense.

Jakobi Meyers also impressed with Tucker

Speaking of Meyers, he's also taken note of Tucker's development.

“My boy Tre, he’s catching the ball better,” Meyers said Tuesday. “He’s always been fast, so he might be a little bit slower. Don’t tell him I said that. He’s really playing good football right now. I’m proud of him, just the person he is off the field too. He shows up every day and do his work.”

Two things that are hard to teach are speed and work ethic. Tucker clearly has both down. The Raiders have an abundance of receiving talent right so now Tucker taking a big leap in Year 2 would give the team a stacked offense. That would certainly help hide any deficiencies the team has at quarterback.