Raiders

Raiders WR Bryan Edwards Has Shown He Has Traits To Thrive In NFL

The Las Vegas Raiders needed solid weapons after a subpar offensive display in 2019. They used a couple 2020 draft picks on speedster Henry Ruggs III and Lynn Bowden Jr. They would later choose Bryan Edwards with pick number 81, a selection that made a lot of sense after going with a smaller, faster receiver in the first round.

What kind of production did Bryan Edwards have in college?

Bryan Edwards finished collegiate career at South Carolina with 3045 receiving yards, 234 receptions (third in SEC history) and 22 touchdowns. In his four seasons with the Gamecocks, he never averaged less than 11.5 yards per catch. That is quite the performance when you take his college quarterback’s play into consideration, and the fact he had to adjust on nearly half his targets.

Measuring at 6’3″ and 215 lbs, Edwards is a big body wide receiver who is hard to take down. On top of that, it makes him a nightmare matchup on contested catches. He is the player making 50/50 catches 70/30 using both his size and sticky hands as an advantage.

Bryan Edwards vs. CJ Henderson, No. 9 overall pick.

Bryan Edwards making a great catch on a way off-target ball.

Many may say Edwards might not be fast enough, and that his route running ability isn’t optimal. Even though he might not get wide open on every play, his route running skill are severely underrated. Moreover, he definitely has the speed, power and explosiveness to make his way free, and make the catch, getting a couple of extra yards after: All in all, Edwards broke 56 tackles while at South Carolina. He had 15 in 2019, which rankeds sixth amongst wide receivers.

Related: NFL Players Universally Respect Raiders Running Back Josh Jacobs

Bryan Edwards getting easy separation man to man.

Bryan Edwards showing off his strength on physical plays.

The Raiders were lacking speed, and reliability from wide receivers, and they have now found that. Edwards will be the “hustler” who will go up and get any ball. He’s the type of wide receiver you trust to come up with the catch and fight for extra yards. He still has plenty of time to become a more polished route runner, and once he does so, the sky will be the limit for this young receiver. Do not be surprised if he turns out to be one of the best wide receivers we have had in a while.

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Top Photo: Richard Shiro/Associated Press

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