The Raiders took some abuse for giving Kenyan Drake a two-year contract worth up to $14.5 million ($11 million of which is guaranteed), but Raiders HC Jon Gruden may have some unique plans to get Drake on the field.
Last year, the Raiders overdrafted Lynn Bowden Jr. in hopes of getting a versatile player in the offensive backfield, but it was clear to the coaching staff early on that Bowden wasn’t up to the challenge. This year, the Raiders may have overpaid a little for Drake, but Gruden seems to finally have the “Swiss army knife” he has been searching for since he returned to the Raiders.
NFL media’s David Carr (and brother of Derek Carr) was a guest on the Harvester Sports podcast last week and shed a little light on Drake’s new role with the Raiders.
“Kenyan Drake is there, too. Jon [Gruden] loves him. Derek [Carr] loves him. He’s going to play receiver a lot, too,” Carr said.
Reading into Carr’s comments a little (as well as others over the past few months), it sounds like Drake and Josh Jacobs will occasionally be on the field at the same time. Drake is a polished route-runner and every indication is that he’ll be catching passes as much as he’ll be taking handoffs – and be on the field for a lot more than just third downs.
For fantasy purposes, if you’re playing in a league that rewards receptions, it might be a good idea to sneak Drake onto your roster when you can. Furthermore, in the unlikely scenario that Jacobs somehow misses significant time this year (knock on wood if you’re not with me), Drake has the potential to be an absolute stat stuffer in Gruden’s offense.
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