The Las Vegas Raiders have invested several of their premier draft picks into offensive skill position players over the last few years. Still, however, the team's offense has been largely inept, and in 2024, the Raiders averaged just 18.2 points per game, which ranked 29th in the league.
While a large part of this struggle has been due to subpar quarterback play, Las Vegas' young pieces have not developed in the way that most expected. Namely, Day 2 picks from the 2023 NFL Draft, wide receiver Tre Tucker and tight end Michael Mayer, have not lived up to their billing.
This offseason, Pete Carroll and John Spytek went out and added competition to both of those positions. Mayer performed well early and has seemingly re-established himself as the No. 2 tight end. After initially being buried beneath the rookie hype, however, Tucker is not going away quietly.
Tre Tucker turning heads at Raiders training camp
During the first week of training camp, Tucker has gotten the opportunity to run with Geno Smith and the first group. Q Meyers of the Locked On Raiders Podcast noted that Tucker made a big grab toward the sideline on Day 2 of camp, but he failed to get his feet in bounds to secure the catch.
Tucker responded in a major way, however, as he bounced back with two great plays in the following days. On Friday, The Athletic's Tashan Reed reported that Tucker ran a corner route and made a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone.
He followed that up with a deep touchdown during team drills on Sunday, as Reed reported that Smith's play-action froze the defense and allowed Tucker to get free down the field. It seems like his speed is being properly utilized in Chip Kelly's offense.
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Rookies Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech have garnered much of the hype during training camp, and returner Jakobi Meyers will be tough to dethrone as the No. 1 receiver on the depth chart. However, if Tucker can be a more solid contributor this season, then Raider Nation will rejoice.
All told, Tucker has just 66 catches for 870 yards and five touchdowns through two NFL seasons. His production did dramatically improve last year, and he has largely been hindered by poor quarterback play, but many expected more from the former third-round pick.
However, Tucker seems to be hitting his stride with the Silver and Black ahead of his third professional season. If he can continue to trend in this direction during training camp and the preseason, Smith and the offense may end up having an abundance of weapons.