The Raiders wide receiver group is widely considered one of the weakest in the NFL (at the very least, it’s unproven), and the decision makers in Las Vegas resisted the urge to draft a wide receiver until the sixth round of this year’s draft.
With the 195th pick in the draft, the Raiders took a flier on Oregon wide receiver Malik Benson and based on his first few months with the team, it sounds like Benson has not disappointed.
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
“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.”
For what it’s worth, Carpenter seems to believe the Raiders got a significant upgrade in wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni.
“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.”
If Benson is going to make the team, special teams would be a perfect space for him to make an impact. It’s been a while since there was a dangerous returner in Las Vegas, and it’s hard to imagine Benson won’t make the team if he can fill that void.
x: @raidersbeat