With money and draft capital in spades, the Las Vegas Raiders filled a lot of roster voids this offseason. It's also not easy to get everything they need to do done in one offseason, so there is a notable void that's in line to be filled next offseason.
Looking at the Raiders' wide receiver depth chart, there are locks for roster spots, but what roles will look like is very much to be determined. We can assume free agent signing Jalen Nailor will have a big role, with Tre Tucker also in line for an opportunity. Second-year guys Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton will have a chance to show the new coaching staff what they can do.
Sixth-round rookie Malik Benson also should not be forgotten. So on some level, while adding Dareke Young, the Raiders seem set to keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster come late-August, and we can almost lock them in right now.
Almost being the key word of course.
Under the radar Raiders' UDFA could make a real case to stick around
Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic went beyond the low-hanging fruit many others have already plucked to name an undrafted rookie to watch for each team. For the Raiders, he went with wide receiver Chase Roberts out of BYU.
"Roberts (6-3, 209) is a unique athlete. He has pretty middling speed, but he’s an explosive player with terrific agility (6.89 three-cone, 4.33 short shuttle). If he can hang on to the ball in camp, he could be a name to watch."
Roberts ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which runs in contrast to the other athletic testing numbers he put up at the event (37-inch vertical, 10-foot-6-inch broad jump, etc.). It's also fair to say those other testing numbers are more applicable to football, compared to how fast someone runs unimpeded in a straight line while wearing shorts.
Roberts served a Latter-Day Saints mission from 2019 to 2021, so he is already 25 years old as he enters the NFL. He also had eight drops last season, according to Pro Football Focus, which fortifies the final point of Baumgardner's analysis.
It will be a significant uphill climb for Roberts to make the Raiders' 53-man roster out of training camp, so he's more likely to land on the practice squad when it's all said and done. He will have a chance to impress this summer, though, up to and including what is likely to be plenty of opportunity to shine in preseason games.
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