Oakland Raiders: Grading Out The 2015 Draft Class
By Kevin Saito
Nov 15, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes tight end Clive Walford (46) eludes Florida State Seminoles linebacker Terrance Smith (24) for a touchdown during the second quarter at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Round Three: (68) TE Clive Walford
McKenzie and Del Rio must really want to make sure Carr has plenty of options this season. The addition of Walford to the Oakland offense was a fantastic move.
Tight end wasn’t a big area of need coming into the draft for Oakland, not with the presence of Mychal Rivera and new addition Lee Smith, but entering the third round and seeing the second best tight end on the board still sitting there, McKenzie and Del Rio couldn’t help themselves.
Over his three years at the University of Miami, Walford improved his game and his stats in each season, and is among the best at the position his school history – a club that features Jimmy Graham, Jeremy Shockey, and Greg Olsen, among others.
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The two liabilities in his game, his run blocking and an issue with drops, are both things that Walford has worked on and improved tremendously. He is, as he says, a dual threat tight end – he can catch, as well as block.
What he brings to the table for the Raiders, is another pass catching tight end to pair with Rivera in some sets – think Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez (before he was a convicted murderer, that is!). To have a tremendous receiving corps, along with a potent run game, and a couple of very solid tight ends gives your offense complexity and most importantly, options.
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At this point, Walford seems to have the edge on Rivera for starting unit snaps. Rivera is a great pass catcher, but his blocking is a liability. But we expect to see both tight ends in on some sets to confuse defenses and take advantage of the fantastic skill sets of both players.
Walford also gives Carr a very large red zone target. He will be Julius Thomas-esque, without the outrageous price tag.
All in all, it was a very good, very smart pick, and is another upgrade to the offensive unit.
Grade: A
Next: Round Four: Jon Feliciano