Oakland Raiders: 3 UDFAs who could make an impact
Keelan Doss, WR, UC Davis
Adding Brown and Williams to the mix gives the Oakland Raiders a strong starting duo at the wide receiver position. Rookie Hunter Renfrow is also expected to make an impact out of the slot. However, the Raiders lack legitimate depth at the wide receiver position and there could be an opportunity for another rookie to make an impact.
The Raiders signed UC Davis wide receiver Keelan Doss after he went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft. Doss does not have the most impressive physical skill set, lacking ideal speed and quickness for an NFL receiver. That being said, he is a big and smooth receiver who shows impressive football IQ and overall route running ability.
Doss consistently runs crisp routes is crafty at creating space. He shows soft hands, attacks the ball in the air extremely well and is fantastic at catching the ball along the sideline.
Doss has been impressive early in his Raiders’ career, catching the eye of his head coach and quarterback.
"Yeah, we coached Doss in the Senior Bowl and really liked him,” Gruden said after the first day of OTAs, according to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports. “I think he’s smart. He’s athletic and he’s got size and I think he’s going to be able to compete on special teams, as well.”"
"“Yeah, I think Keelan is going to be a good player,” Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr said, according to Schrock. “Obviously, he’s a rookie, right? He’s got a long way to go. But just watching him you can tell — he works his tail off and it means something to him.” “We’ve had other guys come in here, I’ve seen undrafted free agents come in here and they are just like, ‘Man, I’m in the NFL.’ And they are posting pictures of them jogging in a jersey, but they don’t really like football. You know? They don’t really care,” Carr continued. “They are just trying to, I guess, show that they have a little influence, that they are a professional football player, when really they haven’t made the team yet, so their not, you know? He is not that at all. He is someone, man he doesn’t want this to just be a one-time stop. He wants to make a career out of this. And hopefully man, he works his tail off and he does make a career out of it. But that’s just the initial reaction I’ve gotten from him is that it means something to him. And you can win with that.”"
It is safe to say that Doss has made a strong impression early in his career with the Oakland Raiders. He is an extremely smart player who makes the most out of his talent. Add in the obvious opportunity at the wide receiver position for the Raiders and it is easy to see how Doss can make an impact.