Oakland Raiders: Handing out grades for the team’s 2018 draft picks

With their final pick in the draft, the Raiders grabbed Marcell Ateman, a receiver out of Oklahoma State.

With the top of the depth chart set, given the presence of Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson, and now, Martavis Bryant, Ateman’s real value is going to be on special teams.

Gruden has repeatedly stated that Oakland’s special teams lacks leaders and playmakers, specifically naming Andre Holmes in that capacity multiple times.

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Well, at six-foot-five, 216 pounds, Ateman certainly slots right into Holmes’ mold (six-foot-four, 210 pounds).

Ateman lacks elite speed, running a 4.62 at the Combine, Ateman has been productive over his four years at Oklahoma State. As a senior, he hauled in 1,156 yards on 59 catches (a scintillating 19.6 yards per catch average), and scored eight times.

Ateman can run all the routes on the tree and puts in a lot of work to improve his craft. He’s dedicated to becoming a solid wideout, and has good, natural hands and ability. Given his size, he’ll come down with most of the jump balls, and has excellent body control.

The thing he will have to work on is being consistent in playing to his sixe and using it to create space between himself and the defender. That will be especially true in trying to keep sharp, instinctive corners from jumping a route and making a play on the ball.

Ateman figures to have to climb the ladder through solid special teams play. But, he can provide Carr with an excellent weapon, especially down in the red zone.

Given his size, skill set, and natural ability, the fact that Ateman slipped to the seventh round, when most viewed him as a fourth to fifth-round prospect makes adding him a potential tremendous value pick. He could very well be a terrific addition to an already explosive offense.

GRADE: B+