Oakland Raiders Should Address Need For a Receiver in Free Agency

Given the fact that we’re in the NFL Dead Zone, and most of our football-related news seems to be in regard to arrests and ongoing court cases, football fans need something to fill that void. Lucky for us then, that there seems to be a new mock draft released every other day, helping prepare us for the NFL Draft – still some months away.

Like Todd McShay before him, ESPN draft “guru” Mel Kiper – can you be wrong so often and still be considered a guru? – has released his second mock draft, and again has the Oakland Raiders picking Alabama wideout Amari Cooper with the fourth overall pick.

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While it makes a certain amount of sense, given Oakland’s need for an upgrade to the talent of the receiving corps, it makes absolutely zero sense when you consider their other, more pressing needs. But, this is Mel Kiper after all, sense and logic don’t always apply.

While Cooper is an amazing college talent, and his 2014 season at Alabama was just ridiculous in its productivity – 124 receptions, 1,727 yards, 16 touchdowns – there is still no guarantee that his skills will translate to the NFL stage. Anybody recall Sylvester Morris? Peter Warrick? David Terrell? Charles Rogers?

Dec 28, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver

(82) catches a pass over Cleveland Browns cornerback

(23) in the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

This is not to say that Cooper will be as big of a bust as those players. But there is no guarantee he will be the next Jerry Rice either – though if he is able to secretly use some Stickum, his chances will go way up. This is simply to say that drafting is a very inexact science, and a great college athlete isn’t guaranteed to be a great pro athlete – look no further than Darren McFadden and Trent Richardson if you want proof.

And to put it bluntly, Oakland simply cannot afford to miss with the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft. While everybody and their mother seem to be calling for the Raiders to select Cooper – well, everybody except that notorious loudmouth gasbag, Stephen A. Smith – Oakland would do far better addressing their need for talent in the receiving corps through free agency.

There is a bumper crop of talented free agent receivers who are set to hit the open market next month – and at least one of them is currently on the Raiders’ roster. The big benefit of addressing their need for a receiver via free agency rather than through the draft is that GM Reggie McKenzie and HC Jack Del Rio have factual evidence to use in evaluating the player. With a college athlete, it’s all projection and guesswork in terms of seeing how their skills may or may not transfer to the NFL. But there is plenty of tape on current NFL wide receivers, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process.

While deals may yet be worked out for some of the wide receivers who appear destined to hit the open market to return to their teams, that should not stop the Raiders for making an aggressive play for a few of them.

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First and foremost, McKenzie and Del Rio must lock up restricted free agent Rod Streater. In 2013, Streater began to show that he has the makings of the number one receiver Oakland has lacked for so long. He led the team with 60 receptions for 888 yards, and four scores. At 6’3”, 200 pounds, Streater is a bit bigger than Cooper, and has plenty of speed. Injury robbed him of all but three games in 2014, but he’s a known quantity in Oakland already. Re-signing him, and starting the process of letting him build chemistry with Carr would yield tremendous results.

Their next target should be Baltimore Ravens’ receiver Torrey Smith. While he had a down year in 2014 – 49 receptions for 767 yards – he did manage 11 scores. His drop in productivity may also be attributable to a down year for Joe Flacco and the Ravens’ offense as a whole. It also means that Oakland may be able to get him for a lower price than they would have been able to if he were just coming off his breakout year in 2013.

If Smith comes off the board, McKenzie and Del Rio’s next target should be Michael Crabtree. Though Crabtree has had something of an up and down career in terms of productivity, he has seemed to have begun the process of turning into a solid NFL receiver under Jim Harbaugh. Of course, having Colin Kaepernick develop in the way he did helped that process. And when Kaepernick began to regress last season, Crabtree’s numbers did as well. Having a developing QB who has tremendous upside – like Carr – will undoubtedly help Crabtree as a receiver.

Jeremy Maclin is an intriguing possibility for the Raiders as well. Though Philadelphia is likely going to pull out all the stops in trying to re-sign him, that shouldn’t stop McKenzie and Del Rio from making their pitch to bring him to Oakland. While not exceptionally big (6’0”, 198 pounds), he is blindingly fast, has great hands, and has proven to be durable.

Sep 7, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver

(80) celebrates after scoring on a 12-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The point is that there are a number of wide receivers scheduled to hit free agency next month and the Raiders would do well to identify a few who would fit well into OC Bill Musgrave‘s system, and go full bore in recruiting them. It would significantly upgrade the receiving corps, and they wouldn’t have to give up a valuable draft pick to do it.

The Raiders should make it a high priority to re-sign Streater and strike a deal with one of the free agent receivers – Torrey Smith makes the most sense. They should also look at taking a younger player in the later rounds of a very receiver rich draft. If they do that, they will have significantly upgraded their receiving corps and provided provided Carr with some very real weapons to utilize.

Rather than drafting a big question mark, Oakland should absolutely look to proven and established NFL receivers to upgrade their talent. That will allow them to use that fourth overall pick on another area of absolutely glaring need – an edge rushing beast who can put some teeth into their pass rush.

Cooper is a terrific talent, but he alone is not going to turn the franchise around. Oakland should pull out all the stops in pursuing somebody like Leonard Williams or Randy Gregory should they be available when they are on the clock.

Next: Del Rio to Have Strong Influence on Oakland's Roster