The Raiders are heading into their inaugural season in Las Vegas, and if they want to make a splash, the passing attack must be jump started. The emergence of rookie Josh Jacobs was one of the Raiders’ 2019 highlights, but more is needed. Imagine the return of “vintage” Derek Carr combined with a stout running game? It can happen and general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden have a chance to make it happen.
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Derek Carr: With The 12th Pick…
That 12th pick has to be Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb if the Raiders would like Carr to return to that 2016 form that so many clamor for. In fact, long time Raiders critic John Middlekauff of The Athletic has the team going with Lamb in a recent mock scenario.
Middlekauff’s argument is that Carr had his best season with receivers who “possess large catching radiuses,” stating that with Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, the signal-caller put together that memorable 2016 season. Whether you like Middlekauff or not, this logic is sound and after last year’s wide receiver carousel, the Raiders desperately need stability at wide receiver once again.
Going back to the emergence of the Raiders running game last year, Middlekauff said that pairing Lamb with Jacobs and tight end Darren Waller would give the team a “balanced offensive unit.” Key word there is balanced, under head coach Jon Gruden’s system, we shouldn’t expect too many long bombs. The Raiders will continue to pound the ball with Jacobs this year but having Lamb would certainly open things up and would force defenses to focus on another weapon other than Waller. April 23 can’t get here soon enough.
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