By all reports, third-round pick Bryan Edwards has been one of the stars of training camp for the Las Vegas Raiders. After missing most of the offseason, Edwards has already impressed the coaching staff and his teammates with his physicality and maturity.
Heading into the year, it’s still unclear what Edwards’ role might be for the Raiders. While he isn’t expected to start in Week 1, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that changed by the end of the season. He’s one of the few players on the roster with the size and body control that can win in the red zone, where the Raiders have had problems over the last few seasons.
In a recent article by Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, he named each team’s biggest “X-factor” heading into the season. For the Raiders, that was none other than Edwards. Take a look at Sobleski’s thoughts on Edwards heading into the season:
“Bryan Edwards displayed the type of potential at South Carolina that could have warranted a first-round draft selection. Unfortunately, the talented wide receiver prospect suffered a broken foot during his draft preparation. As a result, Edwards fell to the third round where the Las Vegas Raiders chose him with the 81st overall pick. He’s done so well in his first training camp that those outside the organization shouldn’t view him as a mid-round talent. Instead, he’s going to be an integral part of the Raiders offense.”
With the amount of hype and praise coming out of camp about Edwards, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him be a big part of the offense this season. But as mentioned previously, don’t expect him to open the season as the team’s Day 1 starter at the “X” receiver spot.
Instead, consider Edwards a strong “futures” play for the Raiders as he and fellow rookie Henry Ruggs III could wind up being a fantastic tandem in Las Vegas.
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