Wide receiver is a competitive position for the Raiders right now. Tyrell Williams is their lone returning starter on the outside and he’s down with a torn labrum for the rest of training camp at least. On the other side it’s expected to be rookie Henry Ruggs III as the starter, but with now preseason this year, nothing is certain.
Making a push for playing time, and potentially starts, is free agent acquisition Nelson Agholor.
The former top pick comes to Las Vegas on a one-year deal, trying to show he was worthy of the 20th overall selection in the 2015 draft.
Back then, Mike Mayock was still NFL Network’s resident draft guru and had him as his fifth ranked receiver, saying among other things that coaches “see a kid that can play inside, he can play outside, he’s a devastating punt returner. And apparently, they love him in the meeting room – great on the board and a hard worker.”
In five seasons in Philadelphia, he never quite lived up to his billing as a top-20 pick, only once surpassing even 750 yards in a season and was simply never even used as a punt returner.
Now with the Raiders, he has spent some time fielding punts, which could signal he will finally get to showcase that part of his game at the NFL level, and showing some impressive skills as a receiver.
“Nelson Agholor is on a mission,” said Mayock Tuesday over zoom conference call from training camp… “I think of the Philadelphia Eagles preseason game. I had a pretty good grade on him coming out of USC, I think I know what Nelly is and I think we’re seeing the best version of Nelly in this camp.”
That preseason game Mayock is talking about what Agholor’s first game ever back in 2015 in which he caught three passes for 57 yards including a 34-yard touchdown. The following week he caught four passes for 49 yards. A game that would seem to confirm that Agholor was special and destined for big things in the NFL.
To be fair, Agholor did play his best football on the biggest stage. The Eagles beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl following the 2017 season and in the game, Agholor caught nine passes for 84 yards. The NFC Championship game he caught three passes for 59 yards, nearly averaging 20 yards per catch.
Moments like that only prove that the talent is there with Agholor, reinforcing the feeling that in the right situation, he could put it all together consistently.
In some ways, it would seem, it is also Mayock who is on a mission with Agholor. He still believes Agholor can be the player he thought he would be coming out of college. Surely Agholor would like to prove him right.
[vertical-gallery id=72662]
[lawrence-newsletter]