Raiders fans waited what seemed like an eternity to see who the Raiders would select with their first pick of the third round. What position would they tap? Wide receiver? Running back? Quarterback?
Yes.
Lynn Bowden was Mr. Everything on offense for the Kentucky Wildcats. He played quarterback and ran like a running back in an option attack and as a senior split out wide at receiver before being asked to move back to quarterback.
This versatility earned him the Paul Hornung Award. But it also made him a difficult player to peg in a specific role at the NFL level.
Jon Gruden didn’t care. He sees the possibilities in his offense. But specifically, they will be giving him the title of running back. But ultimately they have bigger plans for him.
“Lynn Bowden we announced as a running back,” said Mike Mayock over conference call following the end of the third round. “Ultimately he’ll probably be what we call a ‘Joker’ which I love in Jon’s offense. Somebody that’s able to do multiple jobs. But day one he’s going to come in and be a running back.”
Mayock used the word “intriguing” to describe Bowden’s multifaceted abilities. I wouldn’t be surprised if that word came straight from Gruden. The team needed a complement for Josh Jacobs and it sounds like they feel they got that with upside for much more.
“We can move him all over the place,” Mayock added.
“In the SEC two years ago, he caught 60-70 passes in the slot. Last year he was the quarterback slash wildcat gaining over 1000 yards. We think he’s one of the more athletic, tougher guys in this draft. We’re going to train him to be a running back and if he’s able to handle that job, we’ll be able to do some other things with him.”
Another role Bowden will play right away will be as a punt returner, something he did quite a bit as well for the Wildcats. He was third in school history with 71 kick returns, but in just nine punt returns he took two of them back for touchdowns.
I asked Bowden whether he and Gruden discussed his role with the team; “He said he wants to do a lot of things with me. I’m ready to get on board.”
Well, I guess so.
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