Typically, barring unforeseen circumstances, NFL teams draft someone in the second round with the idea that they will have a notable role right away. Sure, there will be some growth and development that needs to happen, but the best way to do that is to give them significant reps.
But Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Jack Bech played single-digit offensive snaps in three of the first four games this season. After the Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears, Bech became the one young player head coach Pete Carroll has vouched for this season.
"We just need to get him out there more," Carroll said. "He’s ready for it."
Jack Bech needs a chance if he's going to be Raiders' rest of year X factor
Bech then played a season-high 36 snaps against the Indianapolis Colts the following week, recording season-highs for catches, targets and yards. He followed that up with a season-high 46 snaps against the Tennessee Titans and 22 offensive snaps against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Las Vegas entered its Week 8 bye with a 2-5 record, so the time off should have been an opportunity for a re-evaluation of playing time allocation. One would think that young players would get more of a chance at this point, but Bech played zero snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9.
As part of their NFL power rankings for Week 14, ESPN.com asked their beat reporters to name a rest-of-the-season x-factor for the team they cover. Raiders reporter Ryan McFadden went a unique direction to choose Bech.
"Wide receiver is among the long list of needs the Raiders will address in the offseason. But with Las Vegas out of the postseason picture, the final five weeks of the season should open the door for its rookie second-round pick to prove he can be a meaningful contributor in 2026," McFadden wrote. "Bech has only 10 catches for 114 yards, though eight of those receptions resulted in first downs. The former TCU standout has upside. It's a matter of the coaching staff allowing him to showcase his potential in the coming weeks."
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McFadden's final point is the most important one in terms of Bech building momentum heading toward his second season. He has played more than 40 offensive snaps in a game just once all year, and in the first three games after Jakobi Meyers was traded, he totaled 32 offensive snaps.
Maybe Carroll will blame that downturn in playing time for Bech on former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, as he seems to like doing. But it's more likely that it is due to the signing of veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett, another former Seattle Seahawk, who is eating up the bulk of the reps.
Bech played 22 snaps in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers, which was good for a 56.3 percent share of the offensive snaps. With that increased role, he finished with two catches on three targets for 22 yards. It's not much, but it's a stepping stone.
Ideally, that playing time and production boost for Bech will at least stick, if not rise, over the final five games of the season. Time will tell, of course, but there's literally nothing to lose in Las Vegas, and Bech is among the Raiders' young players who should see plenty of action from here on out.