The Oakland Raiders are looking at a top five draft pick this year and names like Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker could be targets for the team at wide receiver, as they need weapons for Derek Carr and this comes as players like Michael Crabtree, Hakeem Nicks, Greg Jennings, Jermaine Gresham and Wes Welker are available on the free agent market and could be options for Reggie McKenzie.
The Raiders have been an active team in free agency this offseason, bringing in players like Roy Helu, Malcolm Smith, Rodney Hudson and Nate Allen along with Trent Richardson, but they need more on offense. According to Bill Williamson at ESPN.com, the Raiders may look at free agent options at wide receiver, as players like Greg Jennings, Michael Crabtree, Hakeem Nicks and Wes Welker are a still available and may not cost too much on the market.
Reggie McKenzie has made a number of moves, but none of them have been on back breaking contracts and that leaves money for the team to spend. Williamson writes that tight end is still a bit of a need and after flirting with Jermaine Gresham earlier in the offseason, the team could look at James Casey or Zach Miller as options. Gresham just had surgery and while Miller was once with the Raiders, he could be an option after being released by the Seahawks.
Crabtree was visiting with the Dolphins last week, but the team did not sign him to a contract and he has been mentioned as an option for the Raiders. Crabtree played in San Francisco over the first stretch of his career and has been up and down over the past few seasons. Jennings was released by the Vikings and could be a potential option, while Nicks comes in after playing for the Colts for one season.
Williamson writes that the Raiders may look at a wide receiver with the number four overall pick, as names like Amari Cooper and Kevin White should be available. Cooper is being looked at as the likely pick by many and he comes in after making 124 catches last season for 1727 yards and 16 TDs. White has blazing fast speed and he had a strong season with 109 catches and 10 TDs for West Virginia.
The Raiders have made some intriguing selections on offense in the draft over the past few years and now some of those players could be ready to breakout. McKenzie has been building this team for a couple years and they may not get another chance if there is no improvement this season. The Raiders signed names like Justin Tuck and James Jones and this year they have added Malcolm Smith, Rodney Hudson, Roy Helu and Trent Richardson among others.
The Raiders ranked in the bottom half of the league in passing yards per game and they are hoping that players like Mychal Rivera and Brice Butler can step up as draft picks from the last couple classes. Rivera has the best chance for a breakout season, as he has good speed and solid hands and made 38 catches for four touchdowns as a rookie and he also averaged over 10 yards per catch. While he may not be Jimmy Graham, Rivera has the chance to be a dynamic tight end and he could make a nice tandem with whoever is second on the depth chart for the Raiders.
