Five Late Round Prospects Oakland Raiders Should Target

Ricardo Louis, Wide Receiver, Auburn

The Raiders revamped their wide receiver core last season signing Michael Crabtree and drafting Cooper. Both players went on to have great seasons with Cooper making the Pro Bowl and Crabtree earning a four-year, $35 million extension.

But behind Cooper and Crabtree is where the problem lies.

The three wide receivers behind Crabtree and Cooper were Rod Streater, Andre Holmes and Seth Roberts.

Streater actually led the Raiders in receiving in 2013. But in 2015 he fell behind Holmes and Roberts and was a healthy scratch for most of the season. He only caught one pass for eight yards. He left the Raiders in the offseason signing with the Chiefs on a one-year deal.

Andre Holmes has been a player who has a name to remember but his game never has translated. It seems like every season is going to be his breakout season. But in 2015 he only caught 14 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Holmes may eventually realize his potential, but for now he is nothing more than a depth receiver.

Seth Roberts had a breakout 2015 catching 55 passes for 480 yards and five touchdowns. He is currently slotted in as the number three receiver for the 2016 season. Roberts has talent and the Raiders shouldn’t try to block him, but adding another receiver just adds as insurance in case Roberts falters. He only has one year of production and is still unproven. The Raiders should add a developmental receiver and groom in in case Roberts doesn’t follow up his 2015 with a strong 2o16.

That reciever should be Ricardo Louis.

Louis stands 6’2″ and weighs 215 pounds. That is comparable to Bears’ superstar Alshon Jeffery who stands 6’3″ and weighs 216 pounds.

Besides just his height, Louis is extremely athletic. At the combine he ran the 40 in 4.43 seconds (fourth among wide receivers), had a 38″ vertical jump (fifth among wide receivers), and had an 11’0″ broad jump (first among wide receivers). The Raiders could take a chance on Louis strictly on his athleticism alone.

But on the field Louis has produced. He was blocked on the depth chart for much of his career. But with Sammie Coates entering the draft and Duke Williams being dismissed from the program, Louis jumped to the top of the chart in his senior year. He responded by catching 46 passes for 716 yards and three touchdowns.

Louis also can return kicks. The Raiders already have Andre Debose on the roster who can return, but if he falters Louis can fill in in a pinch.

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Louis needs to improve his mechanics. He’s inconsistent and fumbles the ball too often. He also needs to gain some muscle as he can often be beat by defenders.

If the Raiders can fix his mechanics the Raiders can get a nice speed/size combo who then can groom to be a great slot receiver in their offense. Even if Roberts does pan out Louis could provide great depth and playmaking skills from the wide receiver position.