Silver and Black Report

SBReport.net will now look at the current status of the Oakland Raiders wide receiver corps, tight end situation and special teams prior to the NFL draft. In this second series of outlooks prior to the selection special later this week, we detail what the Silver & Black needs in those spots and what they may target during the draft.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Oakland needs this young crop of targets to develop and produce – quickly. Tom Cable and Hue Jackson will give the incumbents every chance to try to succeed and make their mark in this league. But Chaz Schilens needs to stay healthy, have a full summer and go into 2010 as a starter. Schilens’ size and development gives Oakland a lot hope. His 44 receptions for 591 yards don’t give you the impression of a top target or a starter in this league, but he is on Oakland’s roster and they need him to prove he is a reliable and consistent threat. Louis Murphy demonstrated in his rookie campaign that he has the potential of being a legitimate producer for years to come in this league. He’ll have to mature, control his emotions and display steadiness in his play to really be true starter in the NFL. Darrius Heyward-Bey is the wild card. Will he look like the overwhelmed rookie who is un-polished and lacks basic wide receiver skills? Or, will he take steps forward in proving that the project can actually produce? Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jonathan Holland, Nick Miller and Todd Watkins are all options that just show how feeble this unit is.

OUTLOOK:

Oakland will not likely target any wide receivers within the first five rounds of the draft. They have far too much inexperience already at that spot and a plethora of questions surrounding the current crop of targets. The Raiders have no clear-cut ‘go to’ guy at wide receiver. Nor do they have anyone who they can depend on game-in and game-out. At this point, they will just have to hope that their decisions the last few years and the growth of their youths is what will alleviate the woes this unit has had in recent years.

TIGHT ENDS

Zach Miller is the closest thing Oakland has to a dependable target. And its quite remarkable that the tight end has improved on his numbers every year since entering the league with opponents knowing that there is very little on this attack that can hurt them. But he needs help and Brandon Myers will have to carry a bigger load in 2010. In the summer of 2009, Myers showed he had better hands than advertised and could be used as a route runner. His impact in that area was non-existent during the regular season and he was mainly used on special teams. Tony Stewart was a dump off option and a safety valve, but his assets were best used on the edge as an extra blocker.

OUTLOOK:

The Raiders are happy with the talent at this spot. They just need to incorporate more sets where they can free up Miller and use another tight end to occupy the blocking duties. If Myers is still a prospect they feel high about, it is unlikely that they’ll add to this position on draft weekend.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Where did the pop and excitement on the return units go in 2009? Oakland did not get much out of Higgins and will expect the version they saw in 2008, which provided a spark and changed field position with scintillating returns. Nick Miller will get a shot in the summer to prove he was deserving of being kept on the roster in 2009. Yamon Figurs could handle both kickoff and punt return duties and will challenge Miller. That has to be far better option than the revolving door they had returning kickoffs in 2009 that were very uninspired and lacked any explosion.

OUTLOOK:

With far more needs in other areas, the Raiders won’t look to add any specialist with a draft pick. After the draft, they could attempt to sign some un-drafted free-agents to provide competition, but with Higgins, Miller and Figurs on the roster, they could find their options for 2010 from within.

SBREPORT.NET will bring you coverage from the draft, live from New York City.