The Raiders have spent most of the free agency period addressing their needs on defense. And to their credit, they have done a fantastic job of filling those holes. They have signed several starting-caliber players such as Cory Littleton, Maliek Collins and Eli Apple. However, the one position they haven’t yet addressed is at wide receiver.
Luckily for the Raiders, the 2020 NFL Draft is loaded with wide receiver talent at all spots in the draft. And with the Cardinals trading for DeAndre Hopkins (pick No. 8), it’s likely that all the top receivers will be available to the Raiders at pick No. 12.
In a recent mock draft by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today, every receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft was available to the Raiders with their first pick. In his mock draft, the Raiders selected Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb at No. 12. Take a look at Middlehurst-Schwartz’s thoughts on the Lamb-Raiders pairing:
One of the safer bets to make in Las Vegas would be on GM Mike Mayock using his top selection on a wide receiver after focusing on defense during free agency. Of all the first-tier pass catchers available, Lamb is perhaps the most rugged and multi-skilled, traits that could make him the front-runner to be the Silver and Black’s new top target.
Given the way the Raiders have plugged holes in free agency, this allows the team to focus on wide receiver at pick No. 12. Lamb may very well be the top receiver on the board for Mike Mayock, and he would be an excellent fit in Jon Gruden’s offense.
With just over a month until the NFL Draft, look for more and more mock drafts to pair Lamb with the Raiders at No. 12. And if that’s what ends up happening in Las Vegas, it would be a home-run for a team that has been searching for ways to replace Amari Cooper.
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