Pinpointing the top 2020 offseason needs for the Las Vegas Raiders
By Ian Higgins
Wide Receiver
2019 Personnel: Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones
As mentioned in the introduction to this article, the Las Vegas Raiders may find the most success expanding on their receiving weapons with downfield targets to stretch the field. Current weapons Williams and Renfrow are not the true playmakers needed to push this team over the top. The Raiders thought they had their solution in Antonio Brown going into the 2019 season, but the true collapse of a star proceeded during training camp.
With the depth of talent in the 2020 NFL draft, if Las Vegas is to spend money in free agency on receiving talent, it can’t be anyone demanding top-dollar. A number of top-end wide receivers such as A.J. Green and Amari Cooper will be occupying the big spenders, leaving some valuable talents such as Taylor Gabriel to be fought over by teams unwilling to expend a significant chunk of their cap space on a single receiver.
Gabriel showed his talents most in Atlanta, providing a spark on the catch-and-run as well as a downfield presence.
Similarly to Gabriel, Henry Ruggs is another agile speedster who can create plays behind and well beyond the line of scrimmage. Hidden behind fellow prospect Jerry Jeudy at Alabama, Ruggs did make impacts as the major playmaker he is but never had a chance to show off his consistency as a number one wideout. Running a 4.27 at the combine, Ruggs’ stock skyrocketed and became a focal point in his scouting report.