The Las Vegas Raiders invested heavily in the wide receiver position this offseason. While adding Geno Smith and Chip Kelly to the offense stole much of the headlines, a vast improvement on the outside could be the difference for the Raiders this season.
That is why general manager John Spytek brought in rookies like Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Tommy Mellott, as well as veterans Kyle Philips, Collin Johnson and Phillip Dorsett to supplement them.
Through OTAs and mandatory minicamp, it seemed like Thornton was stealing the show for the Silver and Black. Bech was not necessarily doing anything wrong, but he was not generating the buzz that his fourth-round counterpart was.
Jack Bech is beginning to find his stride at Raiders training camp
Fortunately, that has taken a bit of a turn with padded practices at training camp fully underway. Thornton is still performing well, but the hype around Bech has finally caught up a bit in recent days, thanks to a handful of great plays by the TCU product.
On Sunday, Levi Edwards of Raiders.com reported that, while running with the second team, Aidan O'Connell found Bech for a deep touchdown during one of the team periods. On Monday, the two followed that play up with another touchdown, this time on a jump ball in the corner of the end zone.
Bech was considered a big and physical player coming from the college ranks, and it is good to know that these aspects of his game are already translating. While he was running with the second team offense, there has been a lot of mixing and matching at camp thus far.
RELATED: Raiders veteran keeps proving at training camp that he’s not going away quietly
Head coach Pete Carroll also noticed that Bech has been turning it on as of late. He spoke to the media on Tuesday about how the rookie has impressed him in recent practices.
"Jack looked really good yesterday. He blocked well, he caught the ball in traffic, he made some tough catches, he was hustling like crazy, and he showed up, he was all over the place," Carroll said. "I think it was obvious, he's one of those guys. He's got the feel, he's got the sense, he can play the game."
Carroll was not the only one who noticed, however, as Thornton also sang Bech's praises by calling him a "dawg," and noting that "he'll run through anybody's face." As for Bech, he seemingly has his priorities in line as he approaches his rookie campaign.
"This is what we're here to do, is play football, put the whole thing on. Like I said, one of my favorite parts of the game is physicality," Bech said. "In the blocking game, whatever it may be. I like putting my hands on people. It's one of the things I take pride in, and it shows you care for your teammate."
Bech also talked about how he and Thornton are appreciative of where they are at, and what their future plans look like.
"We take a lot of pride in being a Raider," Bech said. "We just can't wait to be able to go out there on the field and be here. Our plan, our goal, is to be here for a while."