Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker has displayed growth throughout his early NFL career. His receiving yards and catch numbers have improved during each of his first three seasons, and his competitive edge is admired by his coaches and teammates.
It was noticed quickly by new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. During the owners' meeting in March, Kubiak went out of his way to speak about Tucker's toughness and what he could bring to the football team.
"One guy that sticks out is watching Tre Tucker play football. He’s kind of everything that we’re about, the way that his play style, how good of a teammate that he is," Kubiak said.
Tre Tucker is poised for WR1 role in Las Vegas Raiders' offense under Klint Kubiak
The former Cincinnati Bearcats' ability and toughness have stuck out over the years, even if the stats don't match the effort. Tucker's route running has improved every season, and he has shown he can be a more versatile receiver overall.
This will allow Kubiak to move him all over the field and take full advantage of his skill set, while also keeping opposing defenses on their toes.
What he is best at is beating press coverage. Tucker exhibits a beautiful release off the line of scrimmage that helps him routinely beat NFL cornerbacks. He is a strong player for his size, allowing him to still overpower bigger players when coming off the line.
His explosive playmaking was on full display at times last season, but he just couldn't connect with Geno Smith. In Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns, he had 10 targets, but it amounted to three receptions.
It wasn't Tucker's fault that Smith was overthrowing him consistently throughout the game. Tucker was getting open and did not get to reap the benefit of that. Now that he can work with Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, though, he could become more consistent and see a production spike.
While Cousins' arm has deflated in recent seasons, his timing was there on deep passes last season in Atlanta. Similarly, Mendoza was one of the best deep passers in college football, completing 53% of his passes over 20 yards downfield according to PFF.
It all adds up to Tucker having a career year, which could lead to his first 1,000-yard season. It could also lead to him getting an extension, as he becomes a free agent after this season. With some serious money on the line, let's hope Tucker runs it up for the Silver and Black in 2026.
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