Pro Football Focus shockingly believes the Las Vegas Raiders will take a wide receiver in this year’s NFL draft in April.
If the Raiders want to give their fanbase a full-blown meltdown on social media, there’s one way to do it. Save for a Derek Carr trade, drafting a wide receiver in the first round will do exactly that. In a recent mock draft, PFF has Las Vegas picking up Rashod Bateman from the University of Minnesota.
Last year, the Silver and Black drafted two wide receivers, Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards. However, neither played the way the team projected. Whether it was injuries or usage, the best wide receiver to emerge from 2020 was Nelson Agholor. Surely the Raiders haven’t given up on Ruggs or Edwards to the point they’d use a first-round selection on a wideout or have they? Well, this is the same organization that picked Ruggs over CeeDee Lamb and Damon Arnette over Justin Jefferson.
Bateman could be a starter with the Raiders…
As far as Bateman’s concerned, he could very well turn out to be a star in the NFL. At 6’2″ and 210 pounds, he has the tools to be a Day 1 starter with PFF calling him NFL ready. He averaged more than 13 yards per reception in his collegiate career, his highest average coming in 2019 at an eye-popping 20.3.
Rashod Bateman will be an instant impact rookie 🙌 pic.twitter.com/w2ga5kuo6V
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) March 1, 2021
None of this is a knock on Bateman at all. Rather, it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the Raiders. This team needs defense early and often, or, an offensive tackle if Trent Brown isn’t retained for 2021. Without knowledge of what the Raiders will do, drafting a first-round wide receiver is too little too late. The organization had a chance to hit two home runs in last year’s draft but whiffed twice instead.
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*Top Photo: Michael Hickey/Getty Images