Jun 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders assistant defensive backs coach Rod Woodson (center) talks with cornerbacks D.J. Hayden (25) and Brandian Ross (29) at minicamp at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Reggie McKenzieand theOakland Raidersdid a lot of retooling and reloading this offseason, resulting in a roster that is deeper, more talented, and far more well rounded than the team has had in quite some time.
Oakland’s offense has some fantastic pieces like quarterbackDerek Carr, rookie wideout Amari Cooper, rookie tight end Clive Walford and veteransMichael Crabtree,Rod Streater,Latavius Murray, andRoy Helu. Teamed with an offensive coordinatorBill Musgrave– who is bringing an offense that is multifaceted and moves at a quicker tempo – and the Raiders have a very good chance to be one of the league’s most exciting groups.
If pieces fall into place and the players play to their potential, the Raiders could have a top ten offense in the league.
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Despite a renewed emphasis on defense, the Raiders have quite a few question marks on that side of the ball. After not addressing it via free agency, the Raiders went into the draft still needing an elite edge rusher. They didn’t get one, despite several still being on the board. Instead, McKenzie andJack Del Riowent withMario EdwardsJr., who despite being a tremendous athlete with a ton of upside, was never an elite pass rusher in college – he had just eight total sacks in three years at Florida State.
While Oakland left some folks scratching their heads about the Edwards selection, they scratched those same heads even harder about how McKenzie addressed the situation at cornerback for the Raiders. By electing to stand pat, he’s either given a trio of young corners an incredible boost of confidence, or he’s made an incredible blunder. We will see how it all shakes out over the coming months though and Raider fans are hoping against hope that McKenzie’s roll of the dice doesn’t come up snake eyes.
We’ve already looked at how the Raiders stack up against the AFC West at Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Running back, Tight End, and Offensive line, now let’s turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball.
Where are the Raiders at the cornerback spot in comparison to the rest of their AFC West foes? Read on and find out…
Next: All Potential Team
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