Ahead of training camp, the Las Vegas Raiders certainly aren't short on options at wide receiver. As it stands, 12 are currently on the roster, which is more players than they have at any other position, and they'll be battling for six spots, give or take. Competition will be abundant, and it will be stiff.
But what the Silver and Black don't have is a lot of proven options in the building, which has been a talking point all offseason. Tre Tucker is the surest bet, and he is expected to take a leap, but Jalen Nailor also flashed quite a bit with the Minnesota Vikings. The group doesn't have a go-to guy, though.
Sophomores Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr., rookie Malik Benson, and others like Dareke Young and Shedrick Jackson will compete for a role in the wide receiver room as well, but it's hard to pencil any of them in as real contributors. Las Vegas needs answers and doesn't have many, if any, right now.
So, I wouldn't count out anybody just yet, at least not until the live bullets start flying in padded practices here soon. Not even undrafted free agent Chase Roberts, who is walking into a training camp opportunity that players, especially unheralded young ones, dream of.
UDFA WR Chase Roberts is well-positioned to make run at Las Vegas Raiders' roster
Roberts was initially tabbed as a dark-horse UDFA to make the roster, but he was limited in spring practices, seen frequently wearing a red non-contact jersey. Hopefully, whatever was ailing him has subsided because Roberts has the chance to make a name for himself in a thin wide receiver room.
To put a number on what the Raiders think of him, the BYU product was given $267,500 in guaranteed money, which is the second-most in the UDFA class. Las Vegas isn't just handing that money to anyone; it thinks Roberts has a chance to make the 53-man team or be a priority practice squad guy.
And when looking at his build, skill set, résumé and potential fit in this offense, it is not difficult to see why. Let's start with his frame: Roberts stands at over 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, which is a great size for an outside receiver in this league. That's a frame that an NFL coach can certainly work with.
However, Roberts doesn't just line up on the outside. Nearly a quarter of his snaps came from the slot as a senior in college, which is the kind of versatility that new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak covets. Being pigeonholed won't get you far in Las Vegas, so Roberts has that working for him.
His smooth strides also allow him to separate from defenders, as Roberts doesn't tip off his routes. He isn't the fastest or quickest player, but he works angles well and has great footwork, and Roberts will use his body to position himself so that his quarterback has a window to get the ball to him.
Strong hands allow Roberts to finish plays that don't go perfectly, too. And while he's not a burner who can rip the top off the defense, and he doesn't block particularly well for his size or make those 50-50 catches you like to see from a big target, there's still a lot to like about Roberts.
When it comes to his résumé, Roberts should also be impressive to Raider Nation. He led BYU in most receiving categories over the last three college football seasons, totaling 148 catches for 2,229 yards and 15 touchdowns. Roberts was an All-Big 12 third-team selection in 2025.
Although his exact fit in the Kubiak offense remains to be seen, mainly because we haven't seen his offense in Las Vegas in action yet, it is easy to imagine Kubiak utilizing a player of Roberts' size, especially given his versatility, route-running ability, toughness and strong hands.
With the Raiders having no clear solutions at wide receiver, at least this side of Tucker and Nailor, Roberts has it all out in front of him at training camp. If he's healthy and can go, Roberts has a chance to impress in an actual football setting, not the glorified walkthroughs of the offseason program.
Every young player, particularly from the undrafted ranks, just wants a speck of hope to make the 53-man roster or be on the practice squad. But Roberts has more than that. He's got at least a sliver of hope as things stand now, and with a few strong practices, he could force some tough decisions.
Add us as a preferred source on Google