Reacting to the draft and handing out “grades” is a fool’s errand. We know this. Opinions, oftentimes, are all over the place. When someone doesn’t agree with you, you’re immediately hit with the “check back with me in three or four years” line. I totally get that. We haven’t seen these kids in a professional environment at this point; anointing a player a “hit” or a “bust” entering even just their second season feels premature. So, the safe thing to do is wait, and sit on these opinions and gut-feelings. Things take time; waiting to get these takes off is not as fun — so here we are.
The Good
When Lynn Bowden Jr.‘s name (and, spoiler alert, Bryan Edwards’ name) flashed across the bottom of my screen when the pick was handed in, I lost it, you guys. Greatest Day 2 ever? You decide.
Bowden wasn’t a player that I thought the Raiders would even consider in the 80’s, but I couldn’t be more happier that they did. The story on Bowden is simple: He’s a football player. Now, that story is super-cliche and very boring but it couldn’t be more true. You give him a ball, and he’s going to excel from anywhere on the field.
After putting up silly-production at Kentucky, in the SEC, the versatility should be obvious. Special teams, wide receiver, out of the backfield (where his career in Las Vegas is slated to start), he impacted the game and won. I’m all for revamping the roster and adding these types of dynamic talents. Just pick your favorite highlight from Friday evening:
The Question Marks
All my obvious fandom and head-over-heels love for this prospect aside, I really don’t have much to ding him for? I think he came off the board in the right range. I guess if we had to dig here, perhaps his possible “position-less” profile would scare some folks away? The Raiders immediately came out and said that he’s going to play running back, and basically back-up Josh Jacobs, but Bowden’s too dynamic to keep off the field.
That’s one of my concerns, if I may: Just how big is the touch-pie for the Raiders’ skill spots? We know some have concerns about the sporadic, at times, quarterback-play. But if everything is clicking, who’s pushing who out of the picture? Raiders added a pair of early-round wideouts, return Tyrell Williams healthy (we hope), and want to get Jacobs more involved in the pass game (in addition to guys like Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller). Again, while all of this isn’t a necessarily a knock on Bowden’s prospects, his usage and just how creative the offensive staff can/will be come into discussion for me.
The Grade
B+
I want to give this an “A” or higher, but also want to temper expectations a bit just for my own sanity. The player and profile itself, and the value, obviously screams “A” (or higher). As I outlined above, I just hope that Bowden doesn’t stagnate in this offense when/if things fail to get moving at a hyper-efficient pace in 2020 and beyond.
On paper, this pairing, and this offense in general, should ascend. Just how high, and how quickly, remains the question.
Mayock and Gruden go for the Grinders that Ball-out and have an extreme desire to give it their all. I would rather have those kind of people on my team any day rather than some “so-called-elite-pouting-primadonna” who’s constantly complaining and resting on their laurels when the chips are down !