Do the Raiders Actually Need Another Receiver?

PUTTING THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER

Now that free agency is wrapped up and the draft is in the books, we finally have a clear picture of what Rob Leonard is building on defense. I brought Cody Alexander (MatchQuarters.com) back on the show to break it all down — from how the new safeties fit and why the Raiders loaded up on DBs, to the fronts they’ll use, how much nickel and dime we could see, and where the remaining holes still are. If you’re looking for real X’s and O’s instead of surface-level takes, this is the episode for you. Cody and I stuck strictly to the defensive additions in this one, but if you want a full deep dive on all the new draft picks and how they fit into the Raiders’ roster, keep scrolling.

LOL

You always want to make a good impression on your future employer, right?

Well, the Raiders haven’t been shy about noting when they realized Mendoza was their guy — his Pro Day. But as it turns out, it wasn’t just what he did on the field that caught their attention. He had everything mapped out after it, too. And according to GM John Spytek, he crushed the dinner that followed, holding court with the Raiders brass after showing off his arm earlier in the day.

“He got us a private room,” Spytek said on Up & Adams. “You can’t be nervous about picking dinner spots if we’re going to hand the franchise to you.”

So yeah, take notes from Fernando if you’re ever taking the higher-ups out to dinner. Apparently, the restaurant choice is part of the evaluation process, too.

“He picked the dinner spot and we had a great two-hour conversation with him,” Spytek said, adding Mendoza was “confident and in command of himself. That’s a lot of the qualities we were looking for in being a Raider and investing the first pick.”

DO THE RAIDERS ACTUALLY NEED ANOTHER RECEIVER?

Leading up to the draft, everyone talked about the Raiders’ need for a true X receiver — a bigger-bodied pass catcher who can win in jump-ball situations and feast on all those back-shoulder throws we saw Fernando Mendoza excel at in college. And I’ll be honest, I was one of those people who thought they wouldn’t leave the draft without one of those types of players. I wasn’t alone in that thinking.

“Are the Raiders just going to roll with some combination of Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker and Jack Bech for a guy that you drafted No. 1 overall?” Robert Mays said on a recent episode of The Athletic Football Show.

We also can’t forget about Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Malik Benson, who they added in this year’s draft. But when you look at the room as a whole, they’re still missing that big boundary receiver. Yes, Thornton is 6-foot-5, but he’s not exactly a possession receiver — he’s another speedster. And that’s something they already have a lot of.

“I think a lot of people liked many of the moves that the Raiders made on draft weekend,” Mays said. “What they do with those pass-catching spots, and if they do anything else to shore up their offense, that’s one of the bigger questions.”

Don’t tell that to John Spytek, though.

“I like our receiver room. I think, probably, people are going to roll their eyes. And I mean, everybody loves receivers… I value receivers. I do. I really do,” Spytek said to Kay Adams on Up & Adams. “But I love Tre Tucker, and he’s a good player. And we’re excited about Jalen Nailor. And we drafted Jack Bech in the second last year. We have belief in Jack. We drafted Dont’e Thornton in the fourth last year. We believe in him. I’m excited for Malik Benson. We’re not going to force anything either.”

I’ve got a couple of thoughts here. For starters, that’s five guys Spytek mentioned. They also signed Dareke Young from Seattle as a special teamer. Then they added three undrafted rookie free-agent receivers. Phillip Dorsett, Shedrick Jackson, Brenden Rice and Justin Shorter are also on the roster right now. That’s a lot of bodies — and yes, plenty will be cut. Don’t forget how much Kubiak likes to run bigger, multiple tight end sets, too. You likely won’t see many four-wide looks from the Raiders. So that needs to be factored into the equation when projecting out the 53-man roster.

It’s also a very young group, with several players who still need to prove they belong long-term. Because of that, I don’t expect another move at receiver — it just doesn’t really make sense right now. The Raiders aren’t in “win now” mode, they’re building a foundation and they’re trying to figure out who’s going to be a part of that foundation when they’re ready to go for it.

Back to the X receiver conversation. I really wanted to see them add one. How could you not feel that way after watching Mendoza shred defenses with those back-shoulder throws? Maybe they address it next year. But after talking with Dalton Wasserman on the podcast earlier this offseason, I’ve started to come around to the idea that a true boundary X isn’t necessarily required in Klint Kubiak’s offense.

Would it help? Sure. But it’s not essential.

“The reason I say that sort of boundary X isn’t entirely necessary is that when Klint Kubiak takes shots, he’s going to take shots attacking the middle of the field,”Wasserman said. “What Malik Benson is going to do — and he did this a lot at Oregon — he’s going to run, he’s going to get to the skinny post. He’s going to get to the seam. Maybe you’ll get an outside go ball here and there, but that’s not really Kubiak’s game. He’s going to get to deep overs off of play action.”

When you look at it through that lens, it starts to make more sense. It explains why they brought in Jalen Nailor, why they added Malik Benson and why they’re so excited about Tre Tucker. All three have the speed to stress defenses vertically, especially off play action.

Dalton also pointed out that it’s easy to see the vision for Jack Bech, who they hope can develop into their version of Cooper Kupp — doing the dirty work over the middle. And Thornton can be another home-run threat if he takes a step forward in Year 2.

“When you look at the guys Kubiak’s had the last couple years, Thornton to me — and I think this might have been the comp on him — is like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, right? Where he’s got the big size, but it’s the 4.3 speed and the ability to get to the deep post,” Wasserman said. “You need guys in this offense that are going to put fear into safeties just with speed.”

If there’s one thing this receiver room isn’t lacking, it’s speed. Tucker, Thornton Jr. and Benson all ran sub-4.4 40s, and even though Nailor “only” ran a 4.50, he plays faster than that. They don’t cal him “Speedy” for nothing.

Long story short, you can’t fix everything in one offseason, and the Raiders are off to a solid start. Maybe that true “do-everything” receiver — à la Jaxson Smith-Njigba — is something they target next year after getting a full evaluation of this group.

Look what Stefon Diggs did for Drake Maye and the Patriots in Year 2. Maybe that’s the path the Raiders are aiming for with Mendoza.

And let’s not forget — even if this receiver room lacks household names, they do have a guy named Brock Bowers at tight end. And there’s absolutely a world where he gets some of those JSN-type looks in this offense, too.

REQUIRED READING

Friend of the program Ted Nguyen dropped another great read after the draft, diving into his favorite scheme fits from players selected over the weekend. It’s a fun way to get a feel for how these guys match up with their new teams, but Raiders fans in particular will want to check out Ted’s take on how Treydan Stukes fits into Rob Leonard’s defense.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

HOW ALL THE DRAFT PICKS FIT

If you want the full picture of how this draft class actually fits together, make sure you check out our deep dive with Dalton Wasserman. We go through all 10 Raiders picks — not just who they are, but how they fit into what Klint Kubiak and Rob Leonard are building on both sides of the ball. From Fernando Mendoza’s year 1 outlook to why guys like Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, and Jermod McCoy matter, plus a few potential steals and how the secondary was reshaped, this is where everything starts to connect. If you’re looking for real football insight instead of surface-level draft grades, this is the episode for you.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day.

This week, we’re featuring a shot Arnie snagged at the Raiders’ draft party over at The Palms last week. This fan already had the number 15 Mendoza jersey ready to roll. We had been talking about that night for months, like since November, and it finally came to fruition. The amount of times I heard people say, “just don’t screw it up. Take Mendoza.” It feels like last Thursday was a sigh of relief for all of Raider Nation. You’ve got your quarterback of the future. That’s step one. So far, they’ve done a nice job building around him in free agency and the draft. Now let’s see what this group has.

Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Raiders’ rookies hit the field this weekend for rookie minicamp, so we’ll be out at Raiders HQ on Saturday to get our first look at Mendoza and the rest of the rookies rocking the Silver and Black for the first time.

That also means we’ll have a bonus episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast dropping later Saturday afternoon after practice, once we’ve had a chance to watch and catch up with a few of the young guys. So, keep an eye out for that on our YouTube page!

Catch ya next time,