Raiders general manager John Spytek understands his team could use an impact player at wide receiver.
“We want to have an explosive playmaker out there,” Spytek said last week at the NFL’s annual meetings in Palm Beach, Florida. “And if we can find one, we’ll do it.”
Spytek also knows the Raiders have a unicorn in tight end Brock Bowers. The former Georgia standout had a record-breaking rookie season last year and showed he can be the top option in the team’s passing game. That means the Raiders’ need for an elite, No. 1 wide receiver is somewhat lessened.
“Brock kind of functions to me like a legit number one,” Spytek said. “I mean, he’s just different. And I know he’s not the speed guy down the field and all that, but he’s a problem.”
That doesn’t mean the Raiders won’t add to their wide receiver room once the draft begins April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It’s just a matter of when they decide to make a move.
Here’s where the Raiders stand at wide receiver and tight end and how they could approach those positions in the draft:
Current Depth Chart
WR: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Ramel Keyton, Kristian Wilkerson, Jeff Foreman, Kyle Philips, Alex Bachman, Shedrick Jackson, Tyreik McAllister
TE: Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Justin Shorter, Ian Thomas
Level of need: Medium
The Raiders are set at tight end. They have an All-Pro in Bowers and a talented No. 2 in Mayer, their second-round pick in the 2023 draft. Mayer is expected to play a larger role under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
It’s a different story at wide receiver. Meyers had 1,027 yards last season, but the Raiders could use more consistent options alongside him.
First-round prospects to watch:
WR: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona; Matthew Golden, Texas
McMillan, 22, could make sense for the Raiders with the sixth overall pick. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 219 pounds and had 84 catches for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He would give quarterback Geno Smith a huge target next to Bowers and Meyers.
Golden, 21, is another big-time talent, but he may not be worthy of a top-10 pick.
Second to third-round prospects:
WR: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State; Luther Burden III, Missouri; Jaylin Noel, Iowa State; Jayden Higgins, Iowa State; Tre Harris, Ole Miss; Jack Bech, TCU; Jalen Royals, Utah State; Isaiah Bond, Texas; Elic Ayomanor, Stanford; Kyle Williams, Washington State; Tory Horton, Colorado State; Savion Williams, TCU
The Raiders may choose to grab a pass catcher on the second day of the draft given their pressing needs elsewhere.
Burden, 21, and Egbuka, 22, make sense as targets for the team’s second-round pick at 37th overall.
Burden had only 676 yards this past season after totaling 1,212 in 2023, but he’s one of the most talented wide receivers in this draft class. Egbuka had 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns last year playing under Kelly at Ohio State.
Iowa State’s two prospects could also fit the Raiders.
Higgins, 22, is a big target listed at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds. Noel, 22, is a speedster that ran a 4.39 second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Fourth- through seventh-round prospects:
WR: Tez Johnson, Oregon; KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn; Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech; Chimere Dike, Florida; Tai Felton, Maryland; Arian Smith, Georgia; Pat Bryant, Illinois; Nick Nash, San Jose State; Ricky White III, UNLV; Dont’e Thornton Jr., Tennessee; Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas; Xavier Restrepo, Miami (Florida); Bru McCoy, Tennessee
TE: Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame; Jake Briningstool, Clemson; Oronde Gadsden, Syracuse; Moliki Matavao, UCLA; CJ Dippre, Alabama; Thomas Fidone II, Nebraska; Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech
Johnson, 22, could be a steal on day three of the draft. He ran a slower-than-expected 4.51 second 40-yard dash at the combine, but speed didn’t appear to be an issue when he totaled 898 yards at Oregon last season.
White would be an interesting pick for the Raiders regardless of his local ties. Not only did he have 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, but he led the nation in blocked punts with four. He could earn a role right away on special teams.
The Raiders could look to add a developmental tight end late in the draft, or they could just try to sign one or two undrafted free agents to compete for a roster spot.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
