The Raiders didn’t make any aggressive moves for a wide receiver in the offseason, but they did add a pair of intriguing wideouts that will be interesting to monitor as the season gets closer.
In free agency, Jalen Nailor was reportedly the free agent wide receiver the Raiders were targeting from the start, and 6th round rookie Malik Benson was one of the pleasant surprises of OTAs.
The Athletic’s Sam Warren talked about Benson this week and said the former Oregon wider receiver stood out at OTAs with his speed and “sheer ability” to make plays.
“I would say a guy that stood out to me just from his sheer ability was Malik Benson,” Warren said on the Just Win podcast.
“[Benson] was a guy that for receivers was really making plays out there. He was getting more opportunities as well because he was taking the top off of defenses and making those deep balls. So that was the guy that really impressed me for rookies.”
Did the Raiders uncover a return man in Benson?
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter listed Benson as one of three young players who have stood out at OTAs, and The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen shared a similar sentiment this week.
“A player that’s been standing out at OTAs is Malik Benson. He has been making some big plays, connecting with Fernando Mendoza,” Nguyen said on the Just Win podcast on Thursday.
“That’s good to see. I did not have a super high opinion about Benson coming into the draft, and he was drafted late for a reason, But Fernando Mendoza working with the third team seems to be connecting with him a bit. So that’s good to see.”
Carpenter believes Benson will ultimately make the team and could be a factor in the return game.
“The best thing that happened to Malik Benson is Zach Azzanni. I have talked to you guys ad nauseam about Zach Azzanni . He is not a good wide receiver coach. Zach is a great wide receiver coach, and I’ve been telling you all along I love this hire,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“You can see Malik just every single practice [gain] confidence. The guy’s a burner. [He has] speed to burn. Running his routes, the way he’s running them, hands, acceleration after the catch. Malik Benson is a guy [that] I think is going to make this team as a sixth rounder…I think he’s going to be damaging on special teams.”
x: @raidersbeat