The Raiders were one of the league’s most aggressive teams hunting undrafted free agents this year. The team signed multiple players who could potentially make the 53-man roster and could fill important depth spots at defensive tackle and linebacker.
But their best signing by far was the addition of BYU tight end Matt Bushman. Before the 2021 season, Bushman was viewed as one of the best tight end prospects in the class. But he did not play at all in 2020 as he missed time with an Achilles injury. The expectation is that he will be healthy for training camp and that would be fantastic news for the Raiders.
According to Thor Nystrom of NBC Sports, the Raiders had the fourth-best undrafted free-agent class in the NFL. One of the reasons for that ranking is the signing of Bushman. Here is a small snippet of his thoughts on Bushman and fit with the Raiders:
“BYU TE Matt Bushman was one of my favorite under-the-radar prospects in the class. I had a fourth-round grade on him. In Bushman’s last two active years, 2018-2019, he dropped only two balls on 117 targets. He has the second-best ball skills of any tight end in this class behind Kyle Pitts. But because he’s 25-years old, and because he didn’t play last season after rupturing his Achilles, and because he’s a terrible run blocker, he went undrafted.
Bushman drew a bidding frenzy post-draft, garnering $135k guaranteed, No. 8 overall in the UDFA class. I’ve been extremely critical of Mike Mayock’s drafting, particularly in the early rounds, but he’s been very crafty with his UDFA signings early in his executive career.”
One of the reasons that Bushman could make the team is a lack of depth past Darren Waller and Foster Moreau. Derek Carrier is the only real option after Waller and Moreau and the Raiders might want to get a little bit more dynamic with their No. 3 tight end.
Bushman has all the tools to become not just a useful tight end in the NFL, but a starting-caliber player soon. Don’t be surprised if he makes the team and contributes in 2021.
[vertical-gallery id=80797]
[lawrence-newsletter]