Of all the Las Vegas Raiders’ additions that are drawing a ton of interest, rookie wide receiver, Bryan Edwards stands out. He recently received a noteworthy comparison from his quarterback, Derek Carr.
The Raiders made sure to retool the wide receiver corps and infuse it with young and talented pass-catchers. They drafted the former South Carolina Gamecock without much fanfare. Henry Ruggs III, the first-round selection by the Raiders, was part of the wide receiver group that received all the media hype ahead of the NFL Draft. Looking back, it seems Edwards fell onto the laps of general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden. Either way, it appears Derek Carr is more than happy Edwards joined the Silver and Black. Recently, he likened him to a former teammate.
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Carr Believes Raiders Drafted a Special Kid
In a recent edition of Training Camp Live on the NFL Network, Carr heaped praise on Edwards while speaking with James Jones. As Raider Nation might recall, Jones was a veteran wide receiver on the team during Carr’s rookie year.
“I’m not gonna lie to you, Bryan Edwards reminds me a lot of you, James, obviously not as fast, right? James, you’re 4.3 (speed in the 40-yard dash). He reminds me of that guy that I can trust and that guy that I can just throw that ball up to and know that he’s going to get it or no one is. And he’s done a fantastic job of proving that every day in 1-on-1s, and proving it every day in our team drills. And every time I correct him or things like that, he does exactly what I ask him to do. So, the kid is special.”
Edwards’ attitude and willingness to listen to criticism are refreshing to hear. Wide receivers are often seen as divas but Raiders brass has made it a point to draft players of a certain level of character. As far as Jones, he was the de-facto number one receiver on the Raiders during Carr’s debut. Carr targeted him 112 times, with Jones coming down with 73 receptions. Jones’ catch percentage was 65.2 back in that season, can Edwards get near that in his rookie year? We’ll have to see if Carr’s true to his praise and looks to Edwards often right out of the gate.
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*Top Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images