Jacoby

Ford

Former Raiders owner Al Davis made Ford the No. 108 overall pick of the 2010 draft after he ran a 4.28 40-yard dash, but Ford has proven to be amongst the most injury-prone players in the league. A would-be slot receiver, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound wideout has just 57 career catches, and missed 28 games over the past three seasons. Ford has as many lifetime lost fumbles (three) as receiving scores, and was barely utilized on returns in 2013. Still only 27 (in July), Ford is worth a flier, but is far from a guarantee to crack the 53-man roster.

Oakland traded up to draft Ford in the fourth round. “I’m looking for that guy to see if he’ll take the reins of our return game,” said coach Tom Cable. “Those are the expectations (for Ford) early on.” Higgins also offers little as a receiver. Ford has superior speed and projects as help in the slot.

The Raiders, unsurprisingly, love Figurs’ speed. What is surprising is that they’re picking an injury-prone journeyman over an even faster player in Jacoby Ford. The rookie may still be behind after missing time in August with a quad injury.

The move is surprising, as Figurs caught two balls for 17 yards (more than Darrius Heyward-Bey) in Week 1 while serving as the No. 3 receiver and top return man on both kicks and punts. The Raiders will turn the return game over to Jacoby Ford and Johnnie Lee Higgins, but wouldn’t specify roles.

Coach Hue Jackson warned that it was coming because he doesn’t want to take any undue risks of injury with his two most explosive playmakers. Both players will be in the lineup once the regular season rolls around. Michael Bush started for McFadden while training camp sensation Denarius Moore filled in for Ford.

Corkran has done a 180 on his DHB prediction from February after the Raiders failed to address the position in free agency. We noticed tangible improvement in Heyward-Bey’s hands, route running, and run-after-catch explosion down the stretch. He closed out the season as a top-10 fantasy receiver over the final five games, averaging 5.8 receptions and 91.2 yards. Corkran also believes Carson Palmer will be “much, much better” and Denarius Moore will “live up to the hype” this season, leaving Jacoby Ford as the third option in the passing game.

Heyward-Bey and Moore appear to be locked in as the top two receivers, with Jacoby Ford entering in three-wide sets and rookie Juron Criner continuing to climb the depth chart. With Moore’s ADP in the late seventh round and DHB’s in the late ninth, the latter appears to be a value pick this year.

CSN lists Heyward-Bey as the top receiver with Denarius Moore second and Jacoby Ford in the slot. Oakland figures to use more two-tight end sets than it did in 2011, but all three are vertical threats and will get plenty of opportunities to make big plays. Rookies Juron Criner and Rod Streater will also push for snaps.

The three receivers have three things in common: They all have well above average speed and athleticism, they were all drafted by the previous regime, and they have all have durability concerns. If rookie Rod Streater shows that the last two weeks were not a mirage, the Raiders may be even more inclined to listen to offers.

Lightning fast rookie Jacoby Ford will start in place of Heyward-Bey, who was slated to play behind Ford regardless. DHB can be dropped with the bye weeks now over.