The Raiders added the 2020 NFL Draft’s fastest man on Thursday by selecting Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs at No. 12 overall.
It’s possible Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden are looking to form a relay team. They resisted the urge to trade up into the second round, stayed put and took a pair of dynamic offensive weapons back-to-back in the third round.
The Silver and Black took do-everything Kentucky running back/receiver/zone-read quarterback Lynn Bowden Jr. – let’s just call him an athlete – at No. 80 overall and big-bodied South Carolina receiver Bryan Edwards at No. 81.
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The Raiders offense got a lot faster in a flash. And legitimately dangerous if these new weapons are used right and transition well to the NFL.
Ruggs, Bowden and Edwards join elite tight end Darren Waller, slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, running back Josh Jacobs and deep threat Tyrell Williams to form a scary, versatile group of skill players at Derek Carr’s disposal.
The Silver and Black should be fun to watch in their first season in Las Vegas, with all these weapons keeping Gruden up at night, or more likely, super early in the morning dreaming up ways to use these intriguing offensive weapons.
Bowden will give Gruden options considering how much he can do. He had 1,468 rushing yards, 348 receiving yards and 403 passing yards last season. He should be a change-of-pace running back at first, but Gruden can implement his talents in a number of different ways.
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Edwards would have gone earlier had he not suffered a foot injury preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine. His camp sent foot scan images to every NFL team showing he’s on the mend, and the Raiders clearly felt comfortable taking him with one of their third-round picks.
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Gruden has been no-so-secretly envious of the track team Andy Reid’s working with in Kansas City, and while there’s no telling whether the Raiders will become as dynamic an offense, they’re trying to create a fearsome offense that can score in bunches.
The offense has upgraded over last year in terms of speed, skill and versatility, already sporting a large and athletic (and expensive) offensive line.
Carr has been at his best when surrounded by talent, and this might well be his best supporting cast in terms of depth and raw talent.
Williams was setback significantly by plantar fasciitis in 2019, but Antonio Brown going nuclear really changed last season’s offensive outlook. The Raiders now have tons of controllable talent, with Waller, Jacobs, Renfrow and all the new draft picks locked up for years to come.
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The Raiders spent significant sums on defense in free agency, and thus far have an offensive slant in the NFL draft focused on adding speed and playmaking ability to the skill spots. While there’s plenty left to prove and quite a few more NFL draft picks left to make, the Raiders should be a more threatening group for the additions already made on both sides of the ball.