The Raiders won’t be leaving the first round of the draft without a wide receiver, but one of the best-kept secrets has been which receiver they are intrigued by the most.
If they want to take a wide receiver with pick 12, the Raiders might have their choice of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs III. What makes the decision even more interesting is that all three receivers could be available at pick 12 and all three could be gone by pick 19. Given what we know about each, let’s take a look at which receiver makes the most sense for Gruden’s offense.
Jerry Jeudy
Most would agree that Jeudy is the most polished wide receiver in the rookie class and he doesn’t lack for speed either (4.45). Jon Gruden loves a disciplined route runner and there might not be a receiver in the draft better at creating separation.
Jeudy doesn’t have exceptional hands and no one would have been disappointed if he had been a little heavier at the combine, but if he puts on muscle and improves his hands, Jeudy could eventually turn into a player similar to the one he has been training with: Antonio Brown.
CeeDee Lamb
Lamb might not have elite straight-line speed (4.50), but he has ultra-reliable hands and is the most slippery receiver in the draft. Gruden talks a lot about the importance of running after the catch and Lamb is definitely that guy.
Gruden’s offense needs pass-catchers with trustworthy hands who can turn short throws into a first down and Lamb projects similarly to DeAndre Hopkins (who ran a 4.57 at the combine in 2013). Speed is important at wide receiver but it’s not like Lamb ever had trouble with defenders running him down at Oklahoma.
Remember… game speed is more important than timed speed.
Henry Ruggs III
If Al Davis was still running the team there would be no need to speculate about who the Raiders were taking in the draft. Ruggs might not be an 85+ catch type of player, but with 4.27 speed he would change the dynamic of Gruden’s offense.
Ruggs is a little underrated in terms of his route-running ability and he projects to be more of a DeSean Jackson type than a J.J. Nelson type. Want to open up the field for guys like Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and Tyrell Williams? Put a player like Ruggs on the field and watch the field open up for everyone else.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see the deep ball return to the Raider offense?
So which WR makes the most sense for the Raiders?
The answer is all three would be a huge shot in the arm for the offense. Even beyond Jeudy, Lamb, and Ruggs, there are still another handful of receivers who might give Mike Mayock the ammunition to convince Gruden to wait on a receiver until pick 19…
But don’t count on that happening.
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