Oakland Raiders: 4 Intriguing Position Battles Worth Keeping An Eye On

Jan 21, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad tight end Clive Walford of Miami (46) pulls down a pass during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Tight End – Mychal Rivera v. Clive Walford

The fact that the Raiders were able to swoop in and snatch up Clive Walford in the third round was incredible. It could be one of the biggest steals of the draft. Walford has worked on and improved different aspects of his game every year he was in college, and is a strong, powerful, NFL ready tight end.

Live Feed

Canes Warning

Mychal Rivera on the other hand, still has some room to grow. He’s already an accomplished pass catcher, and has developed a good rapport with second year QB Derek Carr. The biggest weakness in his game though, is that he’s not a terrific blocker. And worse for him, he’s not improved in that department very much over his two seasons in the league. He seems to be more in the mold of Jimmie Graham than anything – catch first, let others worry about blocking – which isn’t bad necessarily, though it limits how he can be used.

With Lee Smith signed to be the team’s primary blocking tight end, the battle is going to come down to Rivera and Walford for the role of Carr’s primary catching tight end.

Though we’ll undoubtedly see some sets where both Rivera and Walford are used in tandem – say, down near the goal line, perhaps? – the edge for the every down tight end has to go to Walford. At this point, he seems to be the more complete player of the two.

Next: Battle #3: Right Guard